In medieval times it was thought to be a sign of the devil. Even well into the 20th century, many teachers were actively discouraging their pupils from it. But now researchers at Abertay University reckon it could well be an advantage when the pressure is on.
About one person in 10 is thought to be left-handed and they can find the world a tricky place. Using everyday objects such as scissors, can openers, a computer mouse or even a cheque book can cause difficulties.
But behavioural psychologists Scott Hardie and Lynn Wright believe tackling these problems may make them better at decision-making than their right-handed counterparts.
They got 100 people, split equally between lefties and righties, to do a task on a computer. They were looking at how both groups responded to the challenge, in particular how much they demonstrated a condition called state anxiety.
Dr Hardie said: ”Previously, it has been believed that left-handed people are more anxious in general. What we believe is that it is the ‘state anxiety’ as opposed to ‘trait anxiety’ that differs between left-handers and right-handers.
”This means that it’s the reaction to the here and now, a current situation rather than an individual’s general disposition. What we don’t know is whether the increased state anxiety is caused by the motivation of trying to get it right or the fear of getting it wrong.”
Dr Wright explained: ”There are a number of factors that could affect this. For example, up until recent years when a left-handed person was learning to write they were discouraged from using their left hand and forced to switch to their right, often to their detriment.
”There are also a great number of objects or activities in daily life that are designed for right-handed people, which can be disconcerting for left-handers such as can openers, scissors, notepads, right-sided writing desks, guitars and other musical instruments.
”Because of this, many left-handers are used to having to think before they act and perhaps to second guess what feels natural.
”What we’re not talking about is personality inhibition. Nor are we saying that left-handed individuals live in a constant state of anxiety far from it, actually. The ability to plan and think things out is advantageous in most situations.
”State anxiety in this case focuses attention on the task in hand and allows a proper evaluation of options and outcomes. We feel that left-handers’ ‘inhibition’ is a manifestation of the old idiom ‘look before you leap’ and may, in many cases, be a better strategy than the alternative ‘fools rush in’.”
Given that lefties may be better able to keep a cool head in a crisis, it is probably just as well that five of the last seven US presidents have been left-handed, including the present incumbent of the White House, Barack Obama as is our own Prime Minister, David Cameron.
Photo by Paul Hackett/PA