I’m a lefty, and I love to read interesting facts about left-handed people.
A recent Wall Street Journal article, however, says that left-handed people are more prone to mental illness, among other health issues.
For example,
Left-handedness appears to be associated with a greater risk for a number of psychiatric and developmental disorders. While lefties make up about 10% of the overall population, about 20% of people with schizophrenia are lefties, for example. Links between left-handedness and dyslexia, ADHD and some mood disorders have also been reported in research studies.
Great. And I thought we’re supposed to be the smart, creative people that eventually become presidents.
The reasons for these so-called health risks aren’t all that clear. It may actually have something to do with brain lateralization, or being right- or left-brained. Though we like to say left-handed people are in their right minds, about 70% of lefties are actually left-brain dominant. It’s the 30% that are right-brain dominated or “distributed” that are at greater risk for brain disorders and learning disabilities.
Awesome. I’m definitely right-brained.
Of course, since left-handed people’s brains are known to be wired differently, they are not usually chosen to participate in studies. I guess we throw things off too much. One study actually links stress while being pregnant to “increase the risk of having non-right-handed children.”
The “risk” of having a non-right-handed child? Um. I think I should stop reading now.
Read the article for yourself and tell me what you think. Should I be worried that my left-handed child will develop ADHD. Or, should I just worry about my own “behavioral difficulties?”
Awesome, something else to worry about. 🙂 I didn’t read the article yet, but I did read your post on being right-brained and have to agree that that’s probably me as well. Neither of my sons show an inclination towards being lefties, so it’s just me. Oh well, I’m used to it.
I’ve also read that lefties are more likely to be alcoholics. Who knows. I wonder if there really is enough research to make these cases. Usually righties just ignore us!
Don’t take too hard. Being crazy and being creative are in one way the same thing. They’re differentiated only by the way other people react. If you see the world differently and respond to it differently than most people, and that difference scares people, they say you’re crazy. But if the different way you see and respond to the world delights and intrigues people, they say you’re creative. So you see, it’s not about something intrinsic in the difference with which we see and respond to the world, it’s all in how other people choose to react to our differences. So the secret is in presentation and marketing. If you’re called crazy, try to present your different-ness in a way that delights and intrigues people rather than scaring them. Then you’ll be called creative.
Interesting perspective! It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes – “Don’t worry about people stealing an idea. If it’s original, you will have to ram it down their throats.” It’s all about presentation, isn’t it?
Well, I was being just a little facetious. As a counselor, I know that the more serious mental disorders actually have intrinsic features that aren’t the same as creativity, but yes, presentation can make an enormous difference. Think of all the lunatics in history and today who became cult leaders, mega preachers, politicians, and dictators. They’re nutty as fruitcakes, but they also have charisma, charm, guile, and the ability to appeal to people’s emotions.
I figured as much, Richard. 🙂 The link with left-handedness to mental illness is interesting to me. The brain is fascinating. I want to know why we might be more susceptible to these health risks. I’m not buying the whole stressed out mother thing.