Today, August 13th, is a day especially dedicated to left-handed people around the world!

There is no scientific explanation of why 10% of people have this unique ability with their left hand, but important figures such as Marie Curie, Bob Dylan, Barack Obama, Lady Gaga, Albert Einstein and Machado de Assis, among others, make up a list huge number of extraordinary people who have in common, the fact that they are left-handed.

Prejudice and mysticism

For many centuries (including the beginning of the 20th century), being left-handed was considered a bad omen, causing these people to be forced (even with the use of violence) to use their right hand to do the most diverse tasks.

Even the fact that a person was clumsy was justified by the statement that, that person was like that because he was left-handed.

However, it was in 1992, on August 13, that the International Left- hander Day was instituted, not only to raise awareness of the normality of being left-handed, but also to remember all the challenges that a left-handed person has to face, in a world where almost everything was developed in thought for right-handers.

Why are people born left-handed?

More recent studies explain that the issue of being left-handed is directly linked to the part of the brain, where the language process takes place, having its activation in different ways.

To get an idea, the right-handed language area is located in the left hemisphere of the brain. The left-handed one, which should be on the right side, in fact, about 70% of left-handers also use the left side, as well as most right-handers.

Genetic factors have also not been proven to assert what defines a child as being left-handed or right-handed.

However, studies show that right-handed parents have only a 10% chance of having a left-handed child, whereas if one parent is left-handed, the chance rises to 20% and 25% for children whose both parents are left-handed.

Another interesting fact is that the number of left-handed people is higher in men (12%), whereas for women, this number drops to 8%.

Challenges for left-handed people, in a world where almost everything was manufactured for right-handed people

I can talk a little bit about that, exactly because I'm left-handed, and one of those totally left-handed.

When I studied at the University, in a room that held about 80 chairs with study side tables, only 4 (amazingly) were made for left-handed people.

In case I arrived a little late, there was no chair for me.

Another question is about a simple can opener.

You can't imagine how much I had to bend myself to learn how to use a right-handed can opener.

Another example is those scissors that have one of the finger sockets larger than the other as well. A stress to use.

The question that everybody wants to hear

Many left-handed people are asked if there is a need for an awareness of inclusion, or as a minority, they should adapt to this very right-handed world.

The truth is, the left-hander has always been trying to adapt.

However, when empathy is awakened, it leads us to consider the difficulties and challenges of others and to think of solutions, even if this neighbor is part of a minority.

Are there any advantages to being left-handed?

According to some studies, left-handed people can benefit from performing certain tasks.

This is because the left-handed can use resources from both hemispheres of the brain, making them faster and better with information processing.

Skills such as learning a new language, playing video games and playing sports are deftly performed by most left-handers.

So if you're left-handed too, Happy day to us!