International Left-Handers Day | Are left-handed people really smarter?

August 13 is International Left-Handers Day, and it's time to dispel those rumors about left-handed people.

In life, about 1 in 10 people are left-handed | Tuchong Creative

It is understood that about 6%-13% of the world's population is left-handed, and in China, there are at least 80 million left-handed people. However, have you also heard these sayings: left-handed people are smarter, left-handed people are more creative, left-handed people have a shorter life span... Today, let's talk about whether these sayings are true.

1

Are left-handed people more introverted?

There is no research to back this up. A study by New Zealand scientists found that there were no significant differences between left-handed and right-handed people in terms of extraversion, conscientiousness, gentleness, and emotional stability.

2

Are left-handed people more susceptible to disease?

In 1994, psychology historian Philip Bryden refuted this claim after analyzing 89 studies involving more than 21,000 patients.

Research shows that left-handed people are not more susceptible to illness | Tuchong Creative

3

Are left-handed people more likely to become leaders?

Is it a coincidence that left-handed people make up a large proportion of presidents in the United States alone? Perhaps. But there is no scientific evidence that left-handed people are better at standing out as leaders.

Prince William signing | SOOGIF

4

Do left-handed people have shorter lifespans?

This is one of the most widespread myths about left-handedness, which stems from two highly biased studies published by psychologists Diana Halpern and Stanley Coren in 1988 and 1991, respectively.

Life span has nothing to do with handedness | Tuchong Creative

5

Are left-handed people smarter?

One of the classic explanations for this false claim is that left-handed people use the right brain more. However, we know that intelligence has many dimensions and cannot be simply judged. Moreover, it is not true that left-handed people use the right brain more. In addition, the public's inherent perception of left-handed people has caused them to be praised as "you are so smart" more often than right-handed people since childhood. This psychological suggestion may also affect their cognitive development from an acquired perspective.

People always say, "Children who use their left hand to hold chopsticks are smart! You can't be wrong!" | SOOGIF

Left-handed people just use different hands in daily life, so don’t make left-handed people a myth.

Author | Zhang Chongfeng

Review Expert | Fan Chunlei Associate Researcher, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Editor-in-charge | Li Huahui

This article was originally created by "Science Popularization China - Scientific Principles at a Glance" and compiled and adapted by the "Science Rumor Refutation" platform. Please indicate the source when reprinting.