Left Handed Facts and Statistics [infographic]

June 2, 2011 | by Jay | Lifestyle

15% of people are left handed. I always thought this number was higher — and according to some of my left handed friends and family, also smarter? Well, according to this infographic, they are also more likely to become alcoholics — so I guess that’s a fair trade-off.

If only 15% of people are left handed, think about the market that exists for left handed folks. Left-handed scissors, golf clubs, and potato knives. I’d be interested in finding out how much companies like, Taylor Made, allocate to left handed product development. [via]

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Endymion

Being a genius in this world would drive anyone to drink copious amounts!
- Ganjaguard420
  
  Ugh its true, im a lefty born to two righties, and i enjoy my booz and drugs but am also great and school and martial arts….who says you cant leanr while your wasted? hah i make all As baby ^,^
  - Singing Actor
    
    Ha, ha. but, your spelling and proofreading skills need work. Congratulations on being one of the 2% folks. My genius brother is one, too.
Grace Nichols

Left handed ladles would be nice. You’re often left standing over the punch bowl trying to pour backwards
with your left and or pouring awkwardly with the right hand. But I like that thing about being geniuses.
Grace Nichols
- Mikebseven
  
  They make ladles that can be used with either hand… just check them out before you buy one. I’m with you about hating the righty ladles…especially since we’re often at the punch bowl as alcoholic southpaws.
Alan Schelp

Please clarify the infobit which says, “Left-handers are more likely to be geniuses – 20% of all MENSA members report being left-handed.” Wouldn’t that number have to be over 50% for the statement to be true?
- Jack the lefty
  
  No, that’s not true. If 15% of the population is left-handed, and lefties were geniuses at the same rate that righties were, then 15% of geniuses would be lefties. Instead, 20% of geniuses are lefties. If you take 1,000 people, according to this, 150 of them would be left handed. Let’s say that also, 10 of them are geniuses. If 20% of those 10 geniuses are left handed, then 2 out of 150 lefties are geniuses–a rate of 1.33%. Conversely the 8 out of 850 right-handed geniuses occur at a rate of 0.94%. Thus, a lefty is 150% more likely to be a genius than a righty.
  - Alan Schelp
    
    That is exactly the clarification I was looking for! Thank you.
    - Alan Schelp
      
      Yes, I’m right-handed.
  - Anonymous
    
    i was about to say that and then i scrolled down… darn you beat me to the punch… oh well Southpaws UNITE!
    - Mikebseven
      
      Down with the right man! Him and his oppressive spirals, cars, ladles, and scissors. At least we have the advantage at the drive-thru and toll booth.
  - Cstrife26
    
    Wow. That was such a great break down. You make me proud to be a lefty
  - Cstrife26
    
    Wow. That was such a great break down. You make me proud to be a lefty
  - Tstoeck2
    
    Kudos to you Jack, my left-handed friend. I was hoping someone would explain that particular statistic in detail. Hey, is anyone else annoyed that the “thumbs up” icon is shown with a right hand? o.O
  - Cdgermain2
    
    DA*N! Now Im really extra proud to be lefty
- Mel
  
  Not when you take into consideration that only 15% of all people are left handed. Thus a larger majority of people that are left handed are geniuses than the ratio of how many people that are right handed are geniuses. Make sense?
- guest
  
  there are way more right handed people than left so 20% is kinda alot
- Jeff
  
  no, because only 15% of all people are left handers, so out of that small number 20%of those people became MENSA members. So that statement is right. 20%is an amazing figure actually.
  - Lefty
    
    Its not 20% out of the 15%. It just says 20% of all MENSA members are lefty.The percentage of lefty MENSA members is only 5 points above the lefty population, so its not that outstanding. And yes, I am a lefty.
- Megpie1980
  
  I thought the SAME thing!!
- Megpie1980
  
  I thought the SAME thing!!
samarth

Any facts on Ambi-dextrous people??? I play most of racquet sports, or power application through my left hand, but i eat and write, and use the mouse with my right hand!!
- Mason
  
  That’s reversed for me I eat,write ect left and play baseball right
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Rachel Smith

Im left handed in everything I do, aside from using the computer mouse, only because my entire family, including my extended family are right handed so I grew up using it that way, although I can just as easily operate it on the left side. I certainly do hate spiral notebooks, so I use them backwards, ignoring the margins of the paper. I think it’s really cool that I was in that 2% of people being born a lefty to two righties. Thanks
- Toajedi
  
  I’m in that 2% too!
  - Bravoodalys
    
    mee to haha.the only lefty in the family awsome….uuuggghh sux about probably being alcoholic
  - Jasper Reddin
    
    Same as me.
  - sbmt
    
    as am i!
- Shaaa-s
  
  Same! Infact me and my brother are both left handed and our mum and dad are both right handed
  Pretty cool haha
  - Roxtar_me4ever
    
    same here But my bro is an ambidextrous, he uses both hands like the back of his hand (No pun intended)
- Necronomikid
  
  i prefer using my right hand for the mouse… that means i can browse porn and choke it at the same time… suck it bitches!
- Megpie1980
  
  I am also a lefty born to two righties. My husband is too. Both our kids are righties though.
Francesca gentilcore

My parents and my sister are all right handed, and i am the only lefty in the family!
- leftyyyy
  
  exactly like me
- Mason
  
  Me too, out of my whole family that’s like 300 people I’m the only left handed person it’s insane, plus I see how we are smarter because when they all think something is hard I find that its easy lol, but we’re more likely 2 be alcoholics so, fair trade I guess
becca C.

6 PEOPLE IM MY FAMILY ARE LEFT HANDED
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Giselle polanco

HA HA I’M THE ONLY LEFTY IN MY FAMILY TOO,THEY TOLD ME MY KINDERGARTEN TEACHER TRIED TO MAKE ME WRITE WITH MY RIGHT HAND BUT I WOULDN’T LISTEN TO HER…HA HA AND YEAH I FREAKING HATE HATE SPIRAL NOTEBOOKS…
- meh
  
  why do leftys hate spiral notebooks… lol i wish i cud write with both… the only time i can write neat with my left is on a school white board lol
  - Totalelectricwa
    
    Spiral notebooks are easy, flip em over.
Lildoc2010

so now i know why im an alcoholic….wtf!
- Shirlyking
  
  dont blame that on being left handedness. ur actually have a personal problem not physical.
  - Bob
    
    wow. do you miss many jokes in real life too or just on chat boards?
Luckylefty215

Us leftys have a holiday on august 15th
Tell others and celebrate our national holiday
- DutchPerson
  
  *13th
Bren

I sat in a meeting once where all ELEVEN people at the table were left handed (and wore glasses). What are the odds, right??
Peach9122

My mom isa righty and my dad is a lefty. Me and both mysisters ended up beong leftys as well.
Sonnymonroe26

only 5 lefties in my class including me YAY WE RULE FOR UNIQUENESS
- DutchPerson
  
  how big is your class that that is a low rate? me and a friend of mine are the only two in our class (30 people)
Pohtop

i dont know. maybe im that 2 percent. maybe not . ill never know . i dont think my birth parents were lefty but i dont know
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Starkey28

I didn’t know what MENSA was so I looked it up. There’s a misspelled word on the first page. haha
Mensa, the high IQ society, provides a forum for intellectual exchange among its members. There are members in more than 100 countries around the world.
Activities include the exchange of ideas through lectures, discussions, journals, special-interest groups, and local, regional, national and international gatherings; the investigations of members’ opinions and attitudes; and assistance to researchers, inside and outside Mensa, in projects dealing with intelligence or Mensa.
How to join mensa Membership of Mensa is open to persons who have attained a score within the upper two percent of the general population on an approved intelligence test that has been properly administered and supervised.

We offer 2 ways to practise:Our online Mensa Workout is an intelligence quiz in which you have half an hour to answer 30 questions. The Workout can’t be used for qualification to join Mensa, but you can see how well you do!In some countries, a pre-test is available which you can take in the privacy of your home. To find out whether such a test is available in your country, please see National Groups.
- yellow
  
  its funny that MENSA has to do with being smart and high IQ’s… because in spanish it means stupid or dumb haha
SssrxIU77mnm7MN

lol
Cdgermain2

I love being a lefty…only one in my fam…
Davidmask

Being a monozygotic twin on the planet for 60 years, some of the info this infographic about twins is contrary to my experience. My twin brother is left-handed. We’re called mirror twins. The partial cause of left-handedness can be caused by stress during development or injury. Plus, we’re genetically identical so how can it be genetic?
Dirk M.

I have eight brothers and one sister. My sister is the only righty. I have 9 sons and one daughter. My daughter is the only righty.
- Origin
  
  Your family is single-handedly skewing the averages.
Lefty James

This is stupid. How are left handed people more likely to be geniuses if 20% of MENSA members are left handed that means 80% are right handed and therefore right handed people are smarter statistically.
Lefty James

This is stupid. How are left handed people more likely to be geniuses if 20% of MENSA members are left handed that means 80% are right handed and therefore right handed people are smarter statistically.
- Jdouglas_usn
  
  You are comparing them together, you can’t do that. The math is posted from earlier. It makes perfect sense. You have separate it out. From Jack The Lefty: If 15% of the population is left-handed, and lefties were geniuses at the same rate that righties were, then 15% of geniuses would be lefties. Instead, 20% of geniuses are lefties. If you take 1,000 people, according to this, 150 of them would be left handed. Let’s say that also, 10 of them are geniuses. If 20% of those 10 geniuses are left handed, then 2 out of 150 lefties are geniuses–a rate of 1.33%. Conversely the 8 out of 850 right-handed geniuses occur at a rate of 0.94%. Thus, a lefty is 150% more likely to be a genius than a righty.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Tim-McLaurin/100002243756597 Tim McLaurin

There is some obvious debate about
the ‘Smartness’ of people who are right handed versus left handed individuals
and vice versa. I am right handed. A definition for ‘Smartness’ is really
required.

I certainly do not claim to be smarter than all left handed people, yet I do
claim to have earned more college semester hours (430 semester hours) at more
Universities (nine different Universities) than any living or dead human being,
thus the United States and World Record. In addition, if you take a look at my
chemistry website (www.AbsoluteConfiguration.com or also listed at the website,
http://www.RSconfiguration.com), you will note that spatial orientation and/or
creativity, is not necessarily a higher trait of left handed individuals.

It is noted though, left handed people are encountered with 90% right handed
people. Imagine being left handed and you hold your hand out to shake the hand
of another person, which hand would you hold out in order to shake hands with
the other person, considering 90% of people are right handed? Or, as a left
handed person, would you wait for the other person to hold out their hand, in
order to shake hands, so that you shake hands with the correct hand? Obviously,
left handed people are more challenged by society, because 90% of people are
right handed.

The previous paragraph is mentioned without taking into account, the left and
right sides of the human brain and their respective functions, of which, is
also a constant in the equation of the definition of ‘Smartness’.

In the United States, people are trained to look left and then right. Take the
example of driving a vehicle or crossing the street. You would look left first,
before you look right, because of the oncoming traffic would be, first, from
the left. When reading a book, at least in the United States, we read from left
to right.

There are 1,000′s of very important people, throughout history, that attained a
very high status amongst other people in society. Those people are both right
handed and left handed. So once again, the definition of ‘Smartness’ is
required.

Hope that helps, at least a little bit

Source(s):

http://www.AbsoluteConfiguration.com
http://www.RSconfiguration.com
http://www.his.com/~pshapiro/left.handed.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein_in_popular_culture
- Dan D
  
  No offense but college credits do not make you smart. I didnt graduate high school – by choice – and yet I have a job that pays over 100k a year. Im 26 and a lefty.
Stu99

Lefties have a greater death rate in accidents since almost all machinery is right-handed. Also, lefties have a greater death rate in auto accidents in countries where they drive on the right. In countries that drive on the left more righties (as a percentage) die.
Amerak25

My mom and dad were both left handed. Out of the 7 offspring I am the only lefty the other 6 are right handed
Pizza

Holding a knife with your right hand is the way it’s supposed to be for lefties. We don’t need to switch hands for forks while slicing and picking up food!
- meh
  
  i actually dont no which to put in my hand so sometimes i do it fork with left n knife on right or reversee lol
jah

both of my parents are righties I’m a girl,I’m lefty and I hate alcohol I’ve never drink it
Sahara19991125

im actually proud to be a lefty i have 2 siblisings righty and my mom is a lefty
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Abby

I hold my fork in my right hand and the spoon in the left
Ambermintyxx

My Mum’s a lefty and dad’s a righty. Two brothers that are right-handed and two sisters(me included) left-handed. Equal up I do ace all my classes but then I knew that too. My family doesn’t do alcohol. Clean all the way, so, amazing there. I’m an organiser around school( I think I like the frenzy of having deadlines) and have always dearly loved multitasking and I can mostly beat people at video games. I use the mouse, scissors and knife with my left though.
Proud SOUTHPAW <3
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1121153113 M? KiMo

trrrrrrue
Evonnalovesu

i’M LEFT HANDED, AND I GO TO AN IB SCHOOL
Saralazarevic56

I always hated spiral notebooks,and i’m a lefthander.
lefty girl!

That thing about lefties being naturally good at video games is 100% true with me.
tamara

I the only born left handed person in my family and I feel amazed by this. Both my parents are right handed people and I also use my mouse on the left side as well. Well I am blessed to be this unique among the other left handed persons in this world. More power to us! (smiling)
Lefty

there arent many of us left
Jonathanw1992

Im left handed and i have a clothing line
http://www.g5flightgame.bigcartel.com
Alex Paige

I’m a righty born to two lefties. My sister is a righty too. Two righties from two lefties? Shouldn’t be possible according to this.
- Kaitlyn
  
  Very possible it’s a 50/50 chance just like it was a 50/50 chance you were born a girl or boy.
Renataesenceva

my 17 months old daughter seems like going to join to the lefties. she did so many things using her left hand: holds a spoon with her left, holds a pen with her left…. my husband and I are both rights,but his grandmother is lefty and his cousin.So probably has sth to do with the genes. Anyway, my girl is an extraordinary kid,fast learner, she knows so many words and songs, but I can’t teach her to count. All she can say is: one, two…… and that’s all.
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Hnoelle2013

I am left-handed, my mother is left-handed, my mother’s great grandmother was left-handed my aunts are left-handed and my uncles are left-handed
southpaw <3

i do everything different!!
Lefty: write, throw, tennis, fork/spoon/knife, when washing dishes i put them to dry on the left side of the sink
Righty: bat, golf, hockey, computer mouse
i have two righty parents and an older brother that is also righty. i am a girl and a lefty! on my moms side most of my grandmothers through the generations a lefty and no males. my grandmother on my fathers side is ambidextrous. i can honestly say that i an proud to be a lefty!!
- Kid Lefty
  
  You must be my long lost twin sister!! I’m a dominant lefty with the same right handed features. I play guitar right handed, but I naturally wanted to play lefty. I’m the only lefty in my family…
Liviu dinita

I’m left handed too, but I grew up in a country where being left handed was something to be ashamed of. In school and at home they where beating my left hand not to use it, so I grew up and learned how to be right handed. Now I’m in USA and being a lefty it’s something to be proud of! Now I can use both hands
http://profile.yahoo.com/2VCM5XDOUSR53R6KXINPZPTLQI DEBORA

I am a left handed female. I write with my left hand always. I can write with my right hand but it is not neat. I throw a bowling bal with which ever hand I initially pick it up with. Sometimes left, sometimes right. If I bat a ball I turn to my left side or my right side depending on if I feel like something is in the way of one side or the other. Basically I use which ever hand is convenient to my surroundings in everything I do (without thought) except handwriting. Anybody else out there do this? Is this ambitextrious? And the reason I hate spiral notebooks is because at the beginning of each line my hand is back resting on the wire of the spiral! I can’t stand that!
- DutchPerson
  
  i think that’s the main (or even only) reason why people would hate spiral notebooks.
http://profile.yahoo.com/2VCM5XDOUSR53R6KXINPZPTLQI DEBORA

Perhaps MENSA had a typo or made a mistake. Maybe what they meant to say was out of the entire population of right handed people the percentage of geniuses is less than what it is in the entire population of lefties. Since the percentage of lefties in the human species is so much lower? I don’t know, but it sure did not seem to add up any other way. And by the way, does anyone know what percentage of lefties are female? I never see any others like myself. Only guys. Which is cool but I have only met one other leftie female. I work in health care and I have been looking.
http://profile.yahoo.com/2VCM5XDOUSR53R6KXINPZPTLQI DEBORA

Well leftie, at 20% MENSA must have most of the lefty population! LOL
Xxanaconta

fellow lefties UNITE ! and yes i did write this with my left hand
Confused_Southpaw

if 20% of Mensa members are lefties, wouldn’t the other 80% be right handed? Umm….how does this make lefties more likely to be geniuses?
- lauraandtomstewart
  
  because only 15% of the entire population of the world is left handed
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Katfshh

I have 4 children and 3 of them are left handed. I am not left handed and neither is their father.
cram

I’m a left handed person but im not good in drawing and coloring and im ashame of it
kiyo

wrong! i don’t drink but i m left-hander
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Guess

out of 9 people from my family. I am the only left handed as well.
Unfed83

love this
twin?

I am left handed, my mom is left handed, my grand mother. My dad and brother are both righties. My twin uncles one is lefty and the other is righty. I was doing a bit of research and the possible reason for us being left handed is because we are or were a twin. Typically, I guess, one twin is right handed and the other left. When only a lefty is born they think the right handed baby passed away and was absorbed, also known as vanishing twin syndrome. Twins do run in my family.
Simone

oh my gosh. I thought I was going to see something good about being left handed, now all I know is that i’ll die earlier, be an alcoholic and stutter but a genius at that. The fact about being left handed on … are just crazy.
56 Interesting Facts about Left-Handedness & Left-Handed People

facts.randomhistory.com/facts-about-left-handedness.html
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0neTw0

I’m not a Lefty but I am married to one. And I have to say its phenomenal.
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Erin

I am a left handed woman and I have a dad who has always made me wish that I wasn’t left handed ….. say he doesn’t have left handed people in his family …..
Chadd from Minnesota

i never really realized how many studies on lefties were out there… I’m a lefty and damn proud! i wanna bang a left handed chick now… its gotta be better lol
Bill

Another lefty here. Yea and I am very intelligent, great job and have plenty of money, so there.
Linda

Lefties are smarter. If you use your mouse with with right hand it leaves your left hand free to make notes for work or study without stopping.
…..

Ha-ha! Two of the worst presidents in history are lefties and from different political parties. George Bush Jr and Barack Obama. You lefties are proud?
- Daniel
  
  bite us. You make our lifes so harder.
Leftie&Proud

God made a few perfect people, and the rest he made right handed..
Lozdog

that last fact has been discredited…
I Be Schmity

What is the percent of me having one parent being lefty and one righty?
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Steven Maturan

maybe good in gaming is where i belong according to those examples
well i’m not genius and unfortunately i’m really not that good in school

even so i’m happy to be the left handy one haha ^_^
Lefty

Neither of my parents, or anyone in their families, are lefties. But weirdly enough every first born boy on my dads side is a lefty.
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leftygamer

Haha Im fucking great at games
- Daniel
  
  How! TELL ME YOUR KEYBINDS TELL ME EVEYRTHING! I suck at games cause i was born being a fucking leftie people say its soo good EVEYRTHING IS RIGHT handed stuff its sooo frustrating
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DutchPerson

tomska is among us, people! (look him up, he’s a youtuber) and he’s also a genius (i believe his iq is over 135), so it makes sense ^^
black heart

cool. both of my parents were right handed and me and my brother are left handed.
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Mike

Haha, no wonder I rape at that Black Ops 2. Pretty cool being in that 2%.
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alan pace

AlanP

I’m a leftie from Melbourne VIC Australia. Bein in the Southern Hemisphere, the reverse is true. Only about 10% are right handed! Just as water circles down the snk the opposite way to you & just like it’s Summer here when it’s Winter there. School Globes and maps all have Australia on top of you. We all have reverse everything & ’cause we drive on the left side of the road, fast food is difficult for most drivers.

ps. I lie!!!! It’s all the same as you in the Northern Hemisphere except water & sinks and Summer & Winter both of which are true, but remember that all Japanese and the whole of the British Commonwealth (- about 1/3 of the world both north and south of the Equator) DRIVE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD irrespective of hemispheres.
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bib

# (==(
Wayne Beneteau

I was born a lefthander. I write with it, eat with it and do most tasks, hammering, painting etc. I have played goal in hockey all my life and catch with my right hand. I shoot right, golf right, bat right and throw right. I catch with my left in baseball. As far as racquet sports I use my left hand though. I use a mouse with my right hand. I am the only one in my family that is left handed, born to two righties. Hmmmmm.
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Rebekah campbell

i’m left handed!!! i’m the only left handed person in my entire family
kawaii piglet

im left handed and… im part sad and part happy. happy becasue it says we are geuniuses and part sad because i will die early… oh well it can be helped :T
jackson

Im am the only lefty in my whole family including my great grandparents so why am I lefty?
CatherineAmerica

Of all the daily obstacles us lefties face, scissors annoy me the most. It’s SO easy to make scissors that don’t favor one hand over the other, so why do it?!

I remember the left-handed “scissors” in grade school, I use quotes because they were worthless, bending a piece of paper rather than cutting it.

School desks were awful as well.
CatherineAmerica

I’ve been reading up on this topic profusely and some of these stats seem a bit off- i.e. the 2% chance of two righties producing a leftie… I think it’s a bit higher than than.
ladyiv

mom and dad are both righties but me and my sister are both lefties…. how big are the odds of that? :p

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