Aug. 13: A lucky day for lefties

Ethan Morrison is no fan of three-ring binders. 

The 18-year-old is left-handed, and binders are just one more reminder of the challenges that he faces in a right-handed world. Morrison recently graduated from Harrison Trimble High School in Moncton, and having to take notes in a three-ring binder is not something he'll miss. 

"You kind of have your wrist in between two rings and you're trying to find the space," he said. "If you look at the first page, even though my wrist is not struggling, it's not amazing. You look at the second page and it's even worse, and the letters are crooked."  

Then, Morrison adds, there's the "dirty wrist" issue. Unlike right-handed writers, when lefties drag their hand across their page, ink from their pens or markers often ends up smudging their script and wrists. 

"Sometimes I don't realize this and then I put my hand on a white shirt and realize I have an ink stain on it," he added. 

International Left Handers Day was launched in 1992 in the United Kingdom by the region's Left Handers Club to create awareness and challenge the stigma that surrounds being a leftie.

The date — Aug.13 — is a nod to how being left-handed was historically seen as being unlucky.  

Trying to write 'right'

Writing challenges are some of the most common complaints of left-handed people when it comes to navigating their daily lives. Notebooks with tight bindings or others that don't lay flat when they're open can be deal-breakers for southpaw scribes.

Richard Woollin of Florenceville-Bristol wonders if his issues with learning to read and write as a child were the result of being forced to use his right hand in elementary school. In the small rural community in northern England where he grew up, Woollin says his teachers considered left-handedness to be "backwards" and associated with learning disorders. 

"I definitely knew writing was easier with my left hand. Trying to write, right-handed, I knew that was difficult. I didn't want to do literacy," he recalled. "I struggled academically because they were forcing me to fit that mould."

According to Howard Kushner, a historian of medicine and neuroscience, Woollin is onto something.

Kushner's book, On the Other Hand: Left Hand, Right Brain, Mental Illness, and History, examines the historical, religious and cultural perceptions of left-handedness and their effect throughout the centuries.

Kushner questions whether preventing someone from using the hand that comes naturally, as was commonly done in school settings, might contribute to the ability to learn, and not the other way around.  

He cites an Iowa study from the 1930s and 40s that examined the connection between stuttering and natural left-handers who were forced into using their right-hands. The study involved restoring left-handedness to participants. Once that happened, their stuttering stopped. 

"They all lost their stutter, which is remarkable," said Kushner. "What it suggests is that although left-handedness is seen as something negative, the reason it's negative is because of the social, cultural and religious treatment of people who are left-handed." 

The negative perceptions around left-handedness have existed for centuries.  

The ancient Egyptians used to refer to their enemies as left-handed. In ancient Rome, the word sinister comes from the Latin word for left, and left-handed individuals were considered untrustworthy. In the Middle Ages, lefties were burned at the stake because it was believed they were associated with witchcraft. 

A rare breed

It's widely estimated that 10 per cent of the global population is left-handed, although cultural stigma influences the statistics. In China, less than three per cent of the population identifies as left-handed, while in Western countries, the figures hover around 11 per cent. 

Canada, at nearly 13 per cent, has one of the highest rates in the world of people who consider themselves left-handed.

"The more restrictive a society seems to be about left-handedness, the more restrictive they seem to be about all kinds of differences," said Kushner. 

Genetics or behaviour?

Scientists have no clearcut answers as to why some people are left-handed. Some studies point to a genetic connection, where children are more likely to be left-handed if a parent identifies as such. Others suggest that learned behaviour and positive reinforcement may play a role. 

This, according to Luc Tremblay, may be the case in sports, where being left-handed offers advantages. From a young age, many athletes are encouraged to use their left if that's what they favour. 

Tremblay, who is an associate professor in the faculty of kinesiology and physical education at the University of Toronto,  has studied the role left-handedness plays in sports. He says it gives many athletes an edge.

"There is an overrepresentation of left-handers in many, many sports," said Tremblay. "With baseball for sure, people have noticed there is some advantage. Most of the batters are right-handed which is an advantage for a left-handed pitcher." 

Tremblay adds that in baseball and racket sports, it's not just about the use of the left hand to create an unfamiliar spin on the ball. It also involves the unfamiliar stance an athlete uses and the eye dominance of their opponent. If the opponent is right-eye dominant, they are at a disadvantage against a left-landed athlete. If both athletes use their left, there is no longer a benefit.

Everyday challenges 

While teams and coaches may recognize the advantages of left-handedness, it's not always the case outside of the playing field. Many lefties still find it unnatural to use everyday implements, such as manual can openers, corkscrews, zippers, scissors and measuring cups that show the metric numerations if they're held by the left hand.

Debit and credit card machines require users to swipe their cards on the right. Learning to knit or to play guitar can also be a challenge without a teacher who can work with left-dominant students.

As for Ethan Morrison, he's headed to the New Brunswick Community College this fall to study civil engineering. He's looking forward to no longer having to contort his wrist to write in a three-ring binder. 

"It will be good working on computers," he said. "Because I won't have to use my left hand a lot to write."