I’ve always heard the rumors that left-handed people are “smarter” than those who are right-handed. I’ve always wondered if this is true. There have been many different answers related to this study that have pointed me in several different directions.
A plethora of studies have revealed that the difference between those that right with their left, in comparison with those who write with their right hand, is only one IQ point. However, it has been found that it is more common for a “lefty” to have advantages in more creative departments. Their brains are structured in such a way, that can “allow them to process language, spatial relations and emotions in more diverse and potentially creative ways” as stated in THIS article. Specifically, it has been found that musicians have larger percentage of left-handed people which might cause them to be more artistic & creative.
Doctor Oz, often promoted on Oprah, has been quoted saying that left-hand people are somewhat more intelligent than right-handed people. He stated that, ” “The left brain normally controls your right side, which is really powerful, [In left-handed people], it allows the other side, the right brain, to become an equal partner”. Therefore because a “lefty” processes information through both sides of the brain, they are able to more clearly organize and understand different types of information entering the brain. Dr. Oz goes into further detail on the subject HERE
While this true, a separate correlation has been made between “left-handedness” and learning disabilities. It has been found that “lefty’s” have a higher chance of mental retardation, as well as dyslexia & stuttering. In addition, research found in 1983 in THIS New York Times article, revealed that this trait could also be linked to diseases such as ulcerative colitis, myasthenia gravis and celiac disease.
So, what do you believe? Is this trait truly a correlation between higher intelligence & the opposite side of the body? Is it the causing factor of many disabilities and diseases? or is it all pure chance and coincidence?
This was a good topic to write about. It definitely caught my attention, because my mom has told me on numerous occasions that as a child I was inclined to use my left hand as my dominant one, but she would deliberately move the crayon or toothbrush to my right hand. That makes me question the statistics on mental retardation. Wouldn’t that occur before birth? Becoming a lefty or righty is so subjective to the individual’s upbringing/environment/decision-making process. That point makes me really question the NY times article’s validity. I strongly think it is all due to chance and coincidence. Good article though – bringing all the information to one blog post!
This article caught my attention because I’ve definitely heard all sorts of rumors about different attributes and qualities that right handed people have versus left handed people. My sister is left handed, and arguably the smartest person in my family. However, I’ve never heard the angle that Dr. Oz explains regarding left brain versus right brain. While it seems like this question is one that hasn’t been fully and definitively answered, I think that Dr. Oz makes a good point. If both parts of the brain play equal roles in processing information, it seems as though the outcome would be better determined and organized. I also think that the correlations made about left handed people more commonly having disabilities could be unrelated to the matter of intelligence, and just another statistic about left handed people.
I have learned in psychology that both of the parts of the brain are used for different things. For example the left side of the grade is used for more intellectual aspects such as language, math, or science. The right side of the brain has been known for the spatial, creative aspects of a person. If a person is left handed, they are then specialized in the right side of their brain. These individual’s are probably better at problem solving, plus helping them with standardized tests and their IQ. Although, I do not feel that left handed people are nessasarily smarter.
Here is an article explaining left handed vs right handed people… http://www.humanforsale.com/left-vs-right.asp
To me this topic seems inconclusive. The fact that the difference in IQs is only point shows to me that it could be due to chance and 1 IQ point isn’t much of a difference anyways. The mechanism that Dr. Oz states is very interesting and it could be true. There has to be more research on this mechanism for me to believe it. I think the only difference in intelligence is the fact that left-handed people tend to be more creative. This doesn’t mean that they’re smarter overall, it just means they are smarter in a specific area.
Your post really caught my attention because my sister is left handed and I always joke with her because it has also been said that left handed people don’t live as long. The explanation you mentioned above that Dr. Oz gave seems to make sense. Exercising the brain more would seem to create a more creative and thought provoking outlook on certain things in life. However, as I said, there has always been that rumor about left handed people dying earlier. I put a link to an article that studied that idea and a study shows that left handed people died on average 9 years before right handed people. That’s a pretty large margin, however, as the article states, the researchers didn’t account for the fact that there are more left handed people in the world now than there was before. For a more detailed look at that study, click the link below!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23988352