How many left-handers are there in the world? Among brilliant people, every fifth person is left-handed

People with a dominant left hand, in other words, left-handed people, have always been born. In ancient centuries, left-handers were considered sorcerers and witches, because they often had extraordinary abilities. And such people were burned at the stake. IN Ancient Rus' Left-handers were not allowed to testify in court. It was believed that the devil was left-handed.

Fortunately, times have changed, and it has long been known that magic does not play any role here. A left-handed person is already born. Nature created us asymmetrical. Our brain itself chooses which hand will be dominant. If more developed right hemisphere brain, then becomes active left hand, and on the contrary, if the left hemisphere is more developed, then the right hand will be the main hand.

We have selected 5 of the most interesting facts from the life of left-handers:

- Left-handed people are very gifted people who have extraordinary abilities or have some outstanding talent. For example, scientist Albert Einstein, Roman emperor Gaius Julius Caesar, writer Leo Tolstoy, artist Pablo Picasso, actress Marilyn Monroe - they were all left-handed. But still modern psychologists They believe that a person's genius does not depend on which hand is dominant. But the thinking of left-handers and right-handers is different. And this remains a fact.

- Left-handed people are more creative, active, they do not sit still, they absorb information whole. But here they may have problems with logic. Left-handed people are able to grasp information on the fly, they see the whole problem, right-handed people need to sort everything out. If a pure left-hander has difficulty with math problems, then it will be easier for him to explain the material in images. Right-handers, on the contrary, prefer logic. They make good analysts and excellent strategists.

- Statistics indicate that There are many left-handed people among successful athletes. Tennis player Rafael Nadal, football player Pele. Left-handed tennis player Martina Navratilova held the title of world number one for nine years. This was an absolute record.

Statistics show that 40 percent of gold medals are won by left-handed athletes.

There are not so many pure left-handers in the world. In the animal world the opposite is true. There are more lefties there. For example, monkeys and polar bears have a stronger left paw. But, as an exception, right-footed animals are also found in the fauna world, although much less frequently.

The other side of the coin is that left-handers are more likely to suffer from schizophrenia and alcoholism. However, scientists different countries There are differences of opinion about this extraordinary fact.

In order to determine who your child is, you can conduct a simple test. First, let's determine the main hand - to do this, ask the child to clasp his hands. Whichever finger is on top - that hand will be the leading one. You can also fold your hands in front of you in the Napoleon pose (clasp your hands together in front of your chest); if the right hand is on top, then it is the child’s main one. Now let's try to determine leading ear. Ask your child to listen to the ticking wristwatch. Whichever ear he reaches for them will be the dominant one. In order to determine the active eye, you need to make a small round hole in a piece of paper and ask the child to look into it. Whichever eye looks into this hole will be the main one. Finally, you can check the child's leg. Just ask him to cross his legs. The leg that is on top will be the leading one.

If the child did everything with his left hand, then you are looking at a pure left-hander, of whom there are no more than 10 percent on our planet. And about 45 percent are pure right-handers. If, when performing the test, “left” and “right” are mixed up, then it means that your child is a hidden left-hander; there are about 50 percent of such people. There are also ambidextrous people. There are a lot of them a small amount of. These are people in whom both hands function equally well and the dominant one does not stand out. Such people have the ability to use both hemispheres at once. Ambidextrous children learn better new information, more intelligent, adapt more easily to new conditions. When raising such a child, you need to take into account that if both hemispheres of the brain are under heavy load, then the child may experience neurasthenia, he will become very tired, and headaches may occur.

To avoid this, you need to try to reduce the load on the left hemisphere, which is responsible for intellectual development and logic, instead develop more the right, which is responsible for creativity. For example, instead of additional classes practice math with your child, drawing, dancing, you can enroll your child in music school. Then the child’s brain will not experience excessive stress.

But our world is more suitable for right-handers, since they are still the majority. For example, if you take a store. In all supermarkets, movement around the sales floor goes counterclockwise. This was invented to make it easier for right-handed shoppers to add items to their cart. The more goods are taken, the faster store sales grow.

Marketing move. Sports stadiums are built on the same principle. Athletes run counterclockwise around the stadium so that when turning, the active right leg can protect the runner from falling. The turnstiles in the subway are adapted for right-handed people, as is the hand hole in the sewing machine. For left-handed people, we were able to find only stationery supplies - scissors, sharpeners, and rulers with a mirror scale. For now, lefties have to deal with the rest themselves.

August 13th is International Left-Handers Day. The holiday has a global scale, so most developed countries celebrate it. On this day, it is customary to give left-handed people gifts designed specifically for left-handed people.

Most people have no idea how many left-handers there are in the world, since many of them were retrained in childhood. It is the holiday that helps people from both sides unite and have fun.

How and since when is the holiday celebrated?

Left-Handed Day has a rather interesting but... complicated story. Here are some facts:

On this holiday, the heroes of the occasion are traditionally given specialized gifts adapted for the left hand.

How many left-handers are there in the world - in numbers and percentages?

It is known that there are about 500 million left-handed people living on the planet. This is about 10% of the total population of the Earth! Moreover, the number of left-handed people is growing steadily. Already in 2018, according to statistics, left-handed people made up 15% of the world's population, and by 2020 their total number will exceed a billion.

Soon their number will exceed a billion

Interestingly, among left-handed people there were:

• Alexander the Great,
• Gaius Julius Caesar,
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
• Leonardo da Vinci,
• Ivan Petrovich Pavlov,
• Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky,
• Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein and many others.

Have you ever wondered why in the past such children were often retrained? The fact is that previously left-handed people were perceived differently from all “normal” people. Writing with the left hand was considered a deviation. Often this only concerned the use of cutlery and writing. The harm from retraining can be irreparable, as it deals a strong blow to mental health child. For example, retraining can lead to diseases such as epilepsy and depression.

The myth that left-handedness is a deviation spread and gained force in the CIS countries during the existence of the USSR

Left-handed features:

• Scientists have found that all left-handed people have an active right hemisphere of the brain, responsible for creativity. They often have some extraordinary talent, or even several. Examples of this are the brilliant scientist Albert Einstein, the surrealist Pablo Picasso and the writer Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy.
• Such people know how and love to absorb knowledge entirely, without stopping at any point. Unfortunately, this is more of a minus than a plus, since due to their restlessness they constantly change hobbies and interests.
• Left-handed people are incorrigible dreamers and romantics who may have problems with logic.
• Left-handers also tend to be more flexible in their thinking than right-handers and have better short-term memory.

It is known that the center of anger and happiness is located in the left hemisphere of right-handed people, while in left-handed people these zones are located in the right hemisphere. That is why different kinds therapy may not produce results in left-handed patients with schizophrenia and vice versa. Knowing this can help when choosing suitable method

treatment, since not all options are equally good for left- and right-handed people.

Anna basis Responsible for human development and thinking leading hemisphere brain: for left-handed people - right, and left for right-handed people. However working hand

does not yet determine the main hemisphere. There are absolute and partial left-handers and right-handers. In the former, one of the hemispheres is strongly dominant over the other, in the latter there is no such obvious difference. If a person has developed both hemispheres, then he is ambidextrous. The left hemisphere is responsible for speech, as well as rational and constructive thinking , perception verbal cues

. It strives for consistency and specificity. Right-handers find it easier to concentrate, unlike absent-minded left-handers. The right hemisphere is “associative”. Left-handers have developed intuition. They are constantly in close contact with their subconscious, so they have developed, because it is the unconscious that processes all the information perceived by a person. If you know how to listen to it, it will definitely give you the most unimaginable and brilliant idea. This is the answer to the question why there were so many left-handers.

Some statistics

Lefties in a right-handed world

Scientists put forward several hypotheses about why there are more right-handers than left-handers: this and natural selection, and initial predisposition. Here is the most convincing of them: the left half of the brain began to sharply predominate over the right at the moment when a person mastered speech and thinking. It happened in time immemorial, When primitive people lived in caves, hunted wild animals and survived by any means. In ancient drawings from the late Paleolithic, a person is already depicted with a metal spear or club in his right hand.

Naturally, the tools were made to suit the needs of the majority. The economy and everyday life were formed in such a way that it was carried out by the main part of humanity - right-handed people. This is how it was built cruel world right-handed. For left-handed children he was harsh and merciless. In the Middle Ages, mothers out of fear swaddled and immobilized the baby's left arm while breastfeeding. A left-handed child became not only useless to society, but also dangerous. While mowing wheat, a left-handed peasant could injure another worker with a sickle or break a saw while working in pairs. Girls needlewomen also had a hard time, many skills required active use right hand.

The word “left” was associated with something bad and negative. In Spain, the Devil was considered left-handed. On icons depicting the Last Judgment, sinners were always depicted on the left side of Christ. Under Peter the Great, crooked people, red-haired people and left-handed people were not allowed to be witnesses in court.

In the 21st century, civilized countries are creating comfortable living conditions for left-handed people. Household items for left-handers are produced, and even work machines, machines and other serious equipment are manufactured.

Historical exceptions

On Greek vases There are images of left-handed warriors: they hold a shield with their right hand and a sword with their left.
In the army of Alexander the Great there was a detachment of brilliant warriors of 700 people. They were all left-handed and were called the "Left Division".
For the Egyptians, entering a house with the left foot was a good omen.
Left-handedness was considered great luck among the Incas.
It is customary among the Eskimos to treat every left-handed person with respect, because he is the bearer of witchcraft power.

How to determine the main hemisphere

It is possible to determine whether a child is left-handed or right-handed only from the age of 1.5-2 years. Until this age, children are characterized by “obeseness.” They use one or the other hand at different periods of development, their duration is from 1 to 3 months. From the age of two, it is no longer difficult to understand which hand will be the dominant one. Observe the child with which hand he draws, plays, combs his hair, dresses, eats.

For older children and adults, the following tests are suitable to help determine the main hemisphere:

Place your arms across your chest in Napoleon pose. Which one is on top? Left hand - the right hemisphere predominates, and if the right hand - the left hemisphere predominates.
Interlace your fingers. Thumb, which is on top, will show which hemisphere is dominant. The pattern is the same as in the previous test.
When jumping, a person pushes off the ground with his leading leg. Jump.
To identify your dominant eye, select an object and point at it with a pencil or pen. Focus on the target with both eyes. Close the left one, then the right one. The dominant eye is the one that, when closed, causes the target to shift more.

Left-handed and right-handed differences

Left-handed people are impressionable and emotionally excitable, they worry strongly and deeply negative events in their lives, they are easily offended. Left-handers are characterized by increased moodiness.
Left-handers are more susceptible to the influence and mood of others than right-handers.
Left-handers tend to have difficulty pronouncing certain sounds and difficulty speaking. They often have problems writing letters, sometimes whole words and even phrases: they write in a mirror manner (da Vinci phenomenon). Right-handed people don't encounter this.
Right-handers are more practical and stable, in contrast to the fickle, sensitive and changeable left-handers.
Right-handed children find it easier to concentrate on their studies than their left-handed classmates with scattered attention.

Outstanding left-handers

Many famous figures visual arts, writers, musicians and scientists had right-sided thinking: Leonardo da Vinci, V.I. Dahl, N.L. Pavlov, Napoleon Bonaparte, L.N. Tolstoy, A.S. Pushkin, Albert Einstein, M.V. Lomonosov, Julius Caesar, Mozart, Bill Gates, Lewis Carroll...And this is not a complete list.

A scientific approach to one of the most mysterious problems of anthropology has changed attitudes towards left-handed people, refuted the absurd superstitions associated with left-handedness, and forced us to pay attention to the peculiarities of development. Manufacturers began to increasingly produce tools and devices adapted for the left hand. Statistics on left-handers demonstrate the gradual adaptation of society to this feature of the human body.

Numerous observations have shown that among them there is no such preponderance of right-handed people as there is. For example, polar bears are not right-handed. In monkeys, innate actions are regulated by the right hemisphere of the brain, and acquired ones by the left. You can judge by the way the chimpanzee reaches for food with his left hand. But if she needs to pick out a larva from a hole in a tree, she takes the stick with her right hand.

Ancient times

How many left-handers lived in ancient times? There is no consensus on this matter. Some are trying to prove that in the Stone Age the ratio of right-handed and left-handed people was 50 × 50 and only to Bronze Age it changed in favor of right-handers – 1 to 3.

Others refer to cave paintings and ancient Egyptian images, where it is clear that at all times the proportion remains practically unchanged. Left-handed statistics take into account tools created during the Paleolithic era and also confirm this theory.

Among twins, the number of left-handers exceeds the statistical average. One of the identical twins will be left-handed 76 times out of 100. Statistics of left-handed people in the world show that the probability of a left-handed child being born to right-handed parents is 2%.

If dad or mom is left-handed, then the probability increases to 17%. Two parents with this feature give birth to a left-handed child in 46% of cases.

However, statistics of left-handed people show that, in addition to genetics, ecology plays an important role. If in the world about 9–11% of children are born with left-handedness, then in Russia, due to various pathologies during childbirth, the figure reaches 25%.

How to identify a left-handed person? Exists special test For . It's called Fencing Pose. To do this, you need to observe the baby’s position on his back for a month. If his left arm is extended forward and his right arm is pressed to his body, then he is left-handed.

If a child was born left-handed, it is impossible to change this. Left-handed development does not occur in the same way as other children. Fathers and mothers need to take into account the left-handed character and develop the creative abilities of the little person.

If you look at how left-handers write , then you might think that It is impossible to teach them calligraphy. However latest research teachers and psychologists refute this statement. With the right approach to teaching calligraphy to left-handed children, they write better than right-handed children.

Dependence of the number of left-handers on place of residence

Statistics of left-handers include about 17% of such people on the planet. Moreover, their distribution is uneven. The countries with the most left-handed people live in of Eastern Europe, South and South-East Asia. In countries of Africa, North and Western Europe There are much fewer of them born.

A consistently high percentage of left-handedness is observed among residents of Taimyr and Alaska (up to 34%). Apparently extreme conditions north cause transformation in the human body. The key factor is hypoxia.

Scientists' observations show that the older a person gets, the less left-handed he remains. This pattern was seen in America. When checking twenty-year-old people, 12% were left-handed. Among fifty-year-olds, only 5% of such people were found. After 80 years, only 1% remained. The reasons for this phenomenon are not yet known.

The percentage of left-handed people in the world is not constant according to statistics. The number of left-handed people is gradually increasing. If in the USSR in the 70s there were about 5% of them among schoolchildren, then among contemporaries it was around 15%.

Talented lefties

Scientists in the 70s of the twentieth century conducted numerous studies trying to find a relationship between left-handedness and talent. However, no significant results were achieved. Interesting data is contained in the works of Australian scientists published in 2009. In a study of an unrelated problem in left-handedness, 5,000 children aged 4 to 5 years were tested. The kids read, drew, sculpted and did other handicrafts. Left-handed children had slightly worse motor skills; other characteristics of left-handers were not noticed.

If you carry out statistical analysis by profession, it turns out that left-handed people prefer to engage in creative work. And here technical specialties prefer right-handed people. From the report of the National Bureau Economic Research It was found that left-handed men with a college degree earn more than right-handed people by 21%. This is not observed in women.

It has been proven that there is a disproportionately large percentage of left-handed people among the so-called bohemians. Left-handed musicians and artists are by no means uncommon.

When it comes to athletes, left-handed baseball players are more likely to achieve outstanding results. Being left-handed in boxing also has certain advantages. Evidence was presented by experts from Johns Hopkins University and Lafayette College.

At St. Lawrence University in 2004, the IQ of left-handed and right-handed people was compared. The statistics of left-handers helped to find out that the former have a higher level. This is also confirmed by the Briton Chris McManus in his work “ Right hand, Left hand".

Great left-handers such as Gaius Julius Caesar, Isaac Newton, Leonardo da Vinci, Charlie Chaplin, Wolfgangt Amadeus Mozart and Alexander Pushkin made an invaluable contribution to the development of humanity, science, and art. But there are also negative facts about left-handed people. Among them there are many maniacs, serial, mentally unstable criminals.

Theories of left-handedness

There are many theories about left-handedness. Here are some of them:

1. Hemispheric theory. It is based on the assumption that left-handedness depends on which hemisphere is more active.
2. Genetics. It is based on heredity.
3. Pathology. The appearance of left-handers is associated with prenatal, birth or postpartum trauma.
4. Social and cultural activities. Everything is explained solely by upbringing and the surrounding cultural environment.
5. The "shield and sword" theory. Her followers argued that right-handedness was formed during training and battles. They covered the heart with a shield in the left hand, and cut down the enemy with a sword in the right. This theory has been completely debunked.

At all times, people have had a negative attitude towards those who are different from them. Even in religion, everything to the left is from the devil. In icons, sinners are always on the left. In the accusation and subsequent burning of Joan of Arc, left-handedness was found guilty. Women in medieval England they refused to marry, and in Japan left-handedness was recognized as a sufficient reason for marriage.

Most peoples have a clearly expressed attitude towards left-handedness. In Russian, “to the left” meant to do something awkwardly. In French left means dishonest, clumsy. In Italian - defective.

A typical example of the attitude of the authorities towards left-handedness is the law of Peter I on the prohibition of accepting the testimony of left-handed people as truth. Among the Slavs in the pre-Christian period they were considered sorcerers and witches.

IN modern world There are no left-handed prejudices left. But the mystery of their appearance has not been solved. Scientists continue to work on the phenomenon of left-handedness. Therefore, amazing discoveries are yet to come.

1. About 10-12 percent of people in the world are left-handed. Women are more often right-handed than men.

2. The official “Left Handers Day” is celebrated on August 13th. Initiated in 1992, this annual event honors left-handers and raises public awareness of the difficulties and frustrations of left-handers living in a world designed primarily for right-handers.

3. IN different times left-handedness was viewed in different ways: as bad habit, as a sign of the devil, a sign of neurosis, a rebellious character, but also as a trait signifying creativity and musical ability.

4. Testing conducted by St. Lawrence University in New York found that among left-handers more people with an IQ greater than 140 than right-handers. Famous left-handed thinkers include Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Benjamin Fracklin.

5. Mothers who are over 40 years of age at the time of birth are 128 times more likely to be left-handed than mothers in their 20s.

6. Among the Eskimos, every left-handed person is considered a potential sorcerer. In Morocco, left-handers are called s'ga, a word meaning devil. Among the Incas, left-handed people were able to heal and have magical abilities. Among the North American Zuni people, left-handedness is considered a sign of good luck.

7. In many Islamic countries, people are prohibited from eating with their left hand, which is considered “unclean” as it is used to cleanse the body after defecation. Also, public display of the left hand is illegal in some Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia.

8. Despite the fact that almost 90 percent of people are right-handed, among cats, rats and mice, dominance of one of the hands (or more precisely, paws) is dominant in equally distributed between right-footed and left-footed.

9. Studies have shown that left-handers are more talented in spatial orientation, mathematics and architecture. Right-handed people are more gifted in verbal skills.

10. Left-handedness is inherited. So, left-handed in royal family are the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and Prince William.

11. Connections between the right and left sides of the brain are faster in left-handed people. This means that left-handers transmit information faster, making them more efficient at dealing with multiple stimuli.

12. Left-hand side historically considered weaker and also “feminine.” However, according to recent statistics, men are more likely to be left-handed than women.

13. Premature babies are more likely to be left-handed. In addition, infants who received low scores Apgar scores are more likely to be left-handed at birth than those with higher scores.

14. Researchers have found that, on average, left-handers reach puberty later than right-handers.

15. Only about 1 percent of people on earth are truly equally fluent in both hands.

16. Research has shown that if a left-hander injures his dominant hand, he will learn to use the other hand more easily than a right-hander.

17. According to the Journal of Nervous and mental illness, left-handed brains process emotions differently, and left-handed people are more susceptible to negative emotions such as anger.

18. Some scientists have suggested that Lefty was originally in the womb with a twin who did not survive, a phenomenon called the "vanishing twin."

19. When the baby is placed on his stomach, right-handed people turn their head to the right. Left-handers tend to turn their heads to the left or have no preference for either side.

20. Among the most famous left-handers are: Paul McCartney, Bill Gates, Fidel Castro, Henry Ford, Charlie Chaplin, Alexander the Great, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Lewis Carroll, Julius Caesar, Mozart, Beethoven, Nietzsche, Mark Twain, Prokofiev, Goethe, Kafka and many others.