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Showing posts with the label left handers

Do you think left handers are increasing ???

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I found myself browsing the  New Scientist  website for articles relating to being left handed.  I guess it’s just natural that a by-product of running a  left handed guitar  website is developing an interest in the reasoning behind our ‘ gift ’. So following on from my article asking if  numbers of left handed guitar players are increasing , this one should address the science behind why left handers in general are increasing. To quote the great Ben Affleck in his super-manly shampoo commercial…” here comes the science… ” I read many interesting articles but the point that cropped up the most was that left handed people are becoming more and more common.  A study carried out by the University College London (UCL) found that the proportion of left handed people stood at just 3% of the population only 100 years ago, whereas now it has increased to 11%. Left Handed People Were Victimized For Centuries Professors at UCL concluded that this increase may be attributed to the styl

Top 9 left handed Guitarist advantages

1. Keep Your Hands Off! Consider this scenario.  You’re at band practice and your hyperactive drummer wants a shot of your brand-spanking-new guitar.  You agree and he proceeds to crank the amp to 11 and thrashes around the room like a demented hamster on speed. Whilst doing this his dumb-ass manages to cream your headstock into the wall after getting entangled in cables.  You exchange words and you leave the band with a broken axe and possibly a criminal record. Now consider this scenario as a lefty. You’re at band practice and your hyper-active drummer wants a shot of your brand-spanking new guitar.  “ I do beg your pardon kind sir, but this instrument happens to be of the left handed variety and as such you would not be able to produce fine music with your right-handed mindset ”.  Disaster averted, band saved, jail-time avoided! Huzaaah! Obviously that’s an extreme example, but being a lefty has certainly saved my grubby mates from getting their dirty paws on my pride and j
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Through some exhaustive research (*cough*, an hour on Google!) I found out that no one really understands for sure.  Ultimately hand preference comes down to a variety of factors, partly genetic and partly environmental, but there’s no real conclusive evidence with which to give a definitive answer. Until scientists finally crack this little conundrum we can only hypothesize at best.  Here are a few of the theories I found that attempt to explain why people are left handed.  Some are a little more far-fetched than others… Left Handed Genes Some scientists believe that left handed people simply lack the right-handed gene.   This theory has never been conclusively proven and the ‘right handed gene’ has never been located.  However, a further group of scientists have claimed to have located a specific gene which when present  does  show an increase in left-handedness.  Unfortunately, possession of this gene also apparently results in an increased chance of psychotic mental illnes

15 superstitions, myths and tales of folklore are lefty's

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We’ve compiled a list of 15 superstitions, myths and tales of folklore which show the stigmas associated with being left handed in times gone by. For the most part there are very few positive myths associated with the left hand.  The overwhelming majority of left handed superstitions involve some general theme of bad luck and evil, devil worshipping madness.  Hope you aren’t  too  superstitious! Negative Left Handed Superstitions, Myths and Tales of Folklore 1. In ancient imagery the left hand would generally symbolise ‘female’, while the right hand would symbolise ‘male’. 2. Many people believed it bad luck to pass a drink to someone with your left hand.  Likewise, pouring a drink with your left hand isn’t going to bring you luck! 3. Staying on the subject of drinking – giving a toast with your left hand is the same as placing a curse on the person(s) you are toasting! 4. In the profession of dressmaking it is considered bad luck to attach the left sleeve before sewing

25 amazing facts about lefty's

list of 25 interesting scientific facts related to being a lefty, from the funny to the weird and everything in between. One really interesting factoid that I picked up was from a scientist who believed that left handed people tended to be more independent as a result of having to adapt to a world which is largely built for right handed individuals.  Here are a few more fascinating pieces of trivia related to being a lefty… Scientific Left Handed Facts Make up between 5% and 10% of the population (depending on who you ask) More likely to have allergies More prone to migraines More likely to be insomniacs Use the right side of the brain the most Three times more likely to become alcoholics – the right side of the brain has a lower tolerance to alcohol! More likely to be on extreme poles of the intelligence scale Tend to reach puberty 4 to 5 months later than right handers More likely to suffer stuttering and dyslexia Twice as likely to be a man Better at  3D perceptio

Are left-handed people smarter, more artistic or just plain clumsier?

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  About 10 per cent of the population is left handed and many more of us switch between our hands for various tasks. Yet left-handers have been discriminated against since ancient times and many myths surround this difference. In fact, most of the popular beliefs about left-handers rarely stand up to close scrutiny, none more so than the belief that they tend to be a little clumsy. It may appear so, but that's only because most of the world's tools, sporting equipment and musical instruments are designed by right handers for use by right-handers. An awkward world   Everything from the angle of scissor blades to the turn of corkscrews and the placement of camera buttons favours the right-handed.  So do buttons - at least for men. Ever wondered why women's buttons do up on the left side? It's a relic from the time when right-handed maids helped their mistresses to dress.  More seriously, many power tools and heavy machines can be dangerous because left-han