Lefties may be the exception, not the rule, but there is rhyme or reason behind what makes one of hands dominant over the other. And we just recently figured it out.
Whether you use your right or left hand to complete tasks is believed to be determined while you’re still in the womb by a specific set of genes. One in particular, the PCSK6 gene, is responsible for giving an embryo left and right sides -- which, of course, turns into a human with left and right ears, eyes, hands and everything else. This gene could also be responsible for deciding which side we favor, as it establishes dominance.
About 85 to 90 percent of people are right-handed, and it’s been like that since the cavemen roamed the earth. Lefties have had it hard, man! They used to be accused of hanging with the devil, of dabbling of witchcraft, even of being more unsanitary than their righty counterparts.
But why do people say lefties are more creative than righties? That has to do with which part of the brain controls what; the left side is responsible for speech and writing, while the right controls creativity and imagination. It’s opposite when it comes to our hands, though: Our right hand is controlled by the left side of the brain, while our left hand controls the right side. Aka, the more creative side. Whether the theory holds up isn’t quite founded.
Meanwhile, there’s little to no research on what causes mixed-handedness or ambidexterity, so if that’s you, live it up, you inexplicable minx.
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