Left-Handers Day Celebrates Southpaws the World Over

Left-Handers Day Celebrates Southpaws the World Over

It’s Aug. 13, and it’s Left-handers Day.

Going all the way back to 1976, it’s a day for 7 to 10 percent of the world’s population to celebrate their left-handedness and highlight some of the challenges faced by those who adapt to use right-handed tools and objects such as scissors, spiral-bound notebooks, and can openers. Even high-fiving and shaking hands with a right-handed person can be a little tricky for a lefty.

The website lefthandersday.com has a list of ways to celebrate, including creating "Lefty Zones" in the kitchen, playroom, or study or even while you’re away on a holiday.

Left-handed folks are often considered to be more creative, artistic, and intuitive. An Australia study found that right-handed people tend to be left hemisphere-dominant, therefore, more logical and objective, while left-handed people are more balanced across both hemispheres of their brain.

In studies on matters of health, lefties are found to be more resilient when recovering from strokes, while other findings imply lefties could be more susceptible to certain mental disorders.

Some famous southpaws include Angelina Jolie, Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Cruise, Justin Bieber, Bill Gates, U.S. Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and George H. W. Bush, and of course, Ned Flanders from "The Simpsons."

All you left-handed folks, what are some other challenges that you have to deal with? And if you’re right-handed, why don’t you try some of these things with your left hand. Tell us how it goes in the comments below.