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#REDIRECT [[Handedness]]
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[[File:Linkshaender 01.jpg|thumb|275px|A person writing the German word "''Linkshänder''" (left-hander) with the left hand]]
'''Left-handedness''' (also known as '''sinistrality''', '''sinistromanuality''', or '''mancinism''') is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as [[Penmanship|writing]]. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures. A variety of studies suggest that 10% of the world population is left-handed.<ref>{{Cite journal|author=Hardyck C, Petrinovich LF |title=Left-handedness |journal=Psychol Bull |volume=84 |issue=3 |pages=385–404 |year=1977 |pmid=859955|doi=10.1037/0033-2909.84.3.385}}</ref>


{{Redirect category shell|1=
==Causes==
{{Main|Handedness}}
{{R from merge}}
{{R from subtopic}}
* Hand orientation is developed in fetuses, most commonly determined by observing which hand is predominantly held close to the mouth.<ref>Hopkins, B., Lems, W., Janssen, B. & Butterworth, G. (1987) Postural and motor
{{R printworthy}}
asymmetries in newborns. Human Neurobiology 6:153–56</ref>
{{R with Wikidata item}}
*In 2007, researchers discovered that specific [[alleles]] of at least one of three [[single-nucleotide polymorphism]]s upstream of the already known [[LRRTM1]] gene were linked to left-handedness.<ref>[http://www.nature.com/mp/journal/v12/n12/abs/4002053a.html Francks et al. Molecular Psychiatry (2007) 12:1129-1139]</ref><ref>Gene for left-handedness is found, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6923577.stm, BBC, 31 July 2007</ref>
*Twins theory: this theory postulates that left-handed individuals were originally part of an identical twin pair, with the right-handed twin fetus failing to develop early in development. Although Australian researchers claimed to have debunked<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/health/HealthRepublish_505182.htm Vanishing twin theory debunked]</ref> the related [[vanishing twin]] theory, it is re-examined in Rik Smits's book "The Puzzle of Left-Handedness (2012)", which considers the fact that twin children have a high frequency of left-handedness / right-handedness in the pair.<ref>How New Humans Are Made by Charles E. Boklage</ref>
* Prenatal hormone imbalances may play a role in the gene expression for left-handedness. While the [[Geschwind–Galaburda hypothesis|Geschwind–Galaburda testosterone hypothesis]] is often cited as cause, there is not any evidence to support the theory. However, more recent research has emerged suggesting that high prenatal estrogen exposure is a plausible alternative to Geschwind. In a study endorsed by the [[Center for Disease Control and Prevention|Centers for Disease Control]] (CDC), it is suggested that men who were prenatally exposed to [[diethylstilbestrol]] (a synthetic estrogen based fertility drug), are more likely to be left handed.<ref>{{cite news|last=Titus-Ernstoff et al|title=Psychosexual Characteristics of Men and Women Exposed Prenatally to Diethylstilbestrol|url=http://www.cdc.gov/des/consumers/research/recent_psychosexual.html|year=2003}}</ref>
*Long-term impairment of the right hand: people with long-term impairment of the right hand are more likely to become left-handed.

==Social stigma and repression==
{{Main|Bias against left-handed people}}
[[Image:lefthandersday.jpg|thumb|right|Left Handers' Day, August 13, 2002]]

=== Negative associations of language ===
Historically, the left side, and subsequently left-handedness, was considered negative in many cultures. The [[Latin language|Latin]] word ''sinistra'' originally meant "left" but took on meanings of "evil" or "unlucky" by the [[Classical Latin]] era, and this double meaning survives in [[Romance languages|European derivatives of Latin]], and in the English word "sinister". Alternatively, ''sinister'' comes from the Latin word ''sinus'' meaning "pocket": a traditional Roman [[toga]] had only one pocket, located on the left side. The right hand has historically been associated with skill: the Latin word for right-handed is ''dexter'', as in "dexterity", meaning manual skill. Even the word "[[ambidexterity]]" reflects the [[bias]]. Its intended meaning is "skillful on both sides". However, since it keeps the Latin root ''dexter'', which means "right", it ends up conveying the idea of being "right-handed at both sides". This bias is also apparent in the lesser-known [[antonym]] "ambisinistrous", which means "clumsy on both sides".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yourdictionary.com/wotd/wotd.pl?word=ambisinistrous|title=Ambisinistrous|publisher=YourDictionary.com|accessdate=November 28, 2003}}</ref> In more technical contexts, "sinistral" may be used in place of "left-handed" and "sinistrality" in place of "left-handedness".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yourdictionary.com/wotd/wotd.pl?word=sinistral|title=Sinistral|publisher=YourDictionary.com|accessdate=June 2006}}</ref>

Meanings gradually developed from use of these terms in the ancient languages. In many modern [[Languages of Europe|European languages]], including [[English language|English]], the word for the direction "right" also means "correct" or "proper", and also stands for authority and justice. In most [[Slavic language]]s the root ''prav'' is used in words carrying meanings of correctness or justice.

The [[French language|French]] word ''gauche'' ("left") means clumsy, graceless or awkward, and ''adroit'' (related to ''droit'', "right") means "dextrous". These secondary meanings have entered English.

The [[Dutch language|Dutch]] expression "twee linkerhanden hebben" ("to have two left hands") indicates clumsiness. Modern Israeli [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] uses the same expression ("שתי ידיים שמאליות", "two left hands"), or sometimes even "ארבע ידיים שמאליות" ("four left hands", for extreme clumsiness).

In Chinese culture, the adjective "left" ({{zh|c={{linktext|左}}|p=zuǒ}}) sometimes means "improper" or "out of accord". For instance, the phrase "left path" ({{zh|c=左道|p=zuǒdào|links=no}}) stands for unorthodox or immoral means.

In [[Brazilian portuguese|Portuguese]], "direito" (right) stands for the doing something correctly as well as for Law School. The expression "acordar com o pé direito" (waking up on your right foot) means that the person woke up in a good mood, while "acordar com o pé esquerdo" (waking up on your left foot) means waking up in a bad mood.

In colloquial [[Russian language|Russian]], "левый" (left) means "unauthorised", "under the table", and "ходить налево" ("to go leftwards") is to commit [[adultery]].

In ancient [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], as well as in other ancient [[Semitic language|Semitic]] and [[Mesopotamian]] languages, the term "left" was a symbol of power or custody.<ref>{{cite book|first=Jeffries|last=Hamilton|title=Social Justice and Deuteronomy: the Case of Deuteronomy 15|location=Atlanta|publisher=Scholar's Press|year=1992|page=145}}</ref> The left hand symbolized the power to shame society, and was used as a metaphor for misfortune, [[natural evil]], or punishment from the gods. This metaphor survived ancient culture and was integrated into mainstream [[Christianity]] by early [[Catholic]] [[theologians]], such as [[Ambrose of Milan]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Ambrose of Milan: political letters and speeches / translated with an introduction and notes by J.H.W.G. Liebeschuetz|location=Liverpool, England|publisher=Liverpool University Press|year=2005}}</ref> to modern [[Protestant]] theologians, such as [[Karl Barth]],<ref>{{cite web|first=Rosemary Radford|last=Ruether|title=The Left Hand of God in the Theology of Karl Barth--Karl Barth as a Mythopoeic Theologian|publisher=The Journal of Religious Thought|year=1968–69}}</ref> to attribute [[natural evil]] to [[God]] in explaining God's [[omnipotence]] over the [[universe]].

When it is said that a person has slept on his left side in the [[Akan]] [[language]] of [[Ghana]], it means the person is dead. The use of the left hand in everyday activities such as eating, cooking, writing and pointing are strongly discouraged. It is an insult to shake hands or greet a person with the left hand. It is also inappropriate to shake hands with a group of people beginning from the left side and any exchanges between people such as giving or receiving an item must be done with the [[right hand]]. The use of the left hand is however encouraged in handling unsanitary items such as a [[chamber pot]] and [[excreta]].

There are many [[colloquial]] terms used to refer to a left-handed person, e.g. "southpaw" or "goofy" (USA). Some are just [[slang]] or [[jargon]] words, while other references may be offensive or demeaning, either in context or in origin. In some parts of the English-speaking world, "cack-handed" is slang for left-handed, and is also used to mean clumsy. The origin of this term is disputed, but some suggest it is derived from the Latin ''cacare'', in reference to the habit of performing [[Washing|ablutions]] with the left hand, leaving the right hand "clean".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-cac1.htm|title=Cack-handed|publisher=world wide words}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/cack-handed|title=Definition of "cack-handed"|publisher=The Free Dictionary}}</ref> However, other sources suggest that it is derived from the Old Norse word ''keikr'', meaning "bent backwards".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cack%20handed|title=Cack-handed|publisher=Merriam Webster Dictionary}}</ref> Some Australians use "cacky-handed". An alternative Australian slang word for a left-handed individual is the term ''Molly-Duker''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Quinion|first=Michael|year=2003|url=http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-mol2.htm|publisher=World Wide Words|title=Mollydooker|accessdate=31 October 2008}}</ref>

=== Positive connotations ===
[[File:Inca lloque yupanqui.jpg|thumb|right|120px|[[Lloque Yupanqui]], the third [[Sapa Inca]], whose name means "the glorified lefthander"]]
Among [[Inca civilization|Incas]] left-handers were called (and now are called among the indigenous peoples of the [[Andes]]) ''lloq'e'' ({{lang-qu|lluq'i}}) which has positive value. Indigenous peoples of the Andes consider that left-handers possess special spiritual abilities, including [[magic (paranormal)|magic]] and [[healing]].

The Third [[Sapa Inca]]—Lloque Yupanqui—was left-handed. His name when translated from Quechua means "the glorified lefthander". However, many linguists fluent in the native Quechua language, commonly translate Lloque Yupanqui as "The Unforgettable Left-Handed One".{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}}

In China and Japan, the formula "man left, woman right" ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|男|左|女|右}}}}, ''nán zuǒ, nǚ yòu'') expresses the traditional concept that the left is the [[yin and yang|yang]] ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|阳}}}}, ''yáng'') direction and side of the body. The character for "left", {{lang|zh|{{linktext|左}}}}, also depicts a left hand attending to its work. In contrast, the character for "right", {{lang|zh|{{linktext|右}}}} (''yòu''), depicts a right hand in relation to the mouth, suggesting the act of eating.

In [[Tantric Buddhism]], the left hand represents wisdom. {{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}

In early Roman times, the left side retained a positive connotation, as the [[Augures]] proceeded from the eastern side.<ref>{{cite web
| title = sinistro
| publisher = Etimologia | language = Italian
| url = http://www.etimo.it/?term=sinistro
| accessdate = January 2011
}}</ref> The negative meaning was subsequently borrowed into Latin from Greek, and ever since in all Roman languages.

In Russian, "''levsha''" (lefty, lefthander) became a common noun for skilled craftsman, after the title character from "[[The Tale of Cross-eyed Lefty from Tula and the Steel Flea]]" written in 1881 by [[Nikolai Leskov]].

===Accessibility of implements and skills===
[[Image:2scissors-clean.jpg|thumb|left-handed (left) and right-handed (right) scissors]]
[[Image:Japanese knife blade types.png|thumb|Kitchen knives: (1) symmetrical, (2) right-handed, (3) left-handed]]
People tend to have most strength and control in their lead hand—whether left or right. Because the vast majority of the world population is right-handed, most everyday items are mass-produced for expected use with the right hand. Tools, game equipment, musical instruments and other items must be specially ordered for left-handed use, if they are available at all.

Many left-handers adapt themselves well to a right-handed world. While writing may necessarily remain with most a left handed function necessitating a considerable degree of control, other two handed functions may well be done in a right handed manner (eg: holding cricket and baseball bats, golf clubs, holding both knives and forks when eating). Left-handedness will always be far more apparent in one-handed operation (e.g., tennis rackets, table tennis bats, javelin throwing, ball and shot throwing, etc.).

Right-handed tools may be difficult or uncomfortable to use for some people who are left-handed unless they have learned to adjust. For example, [[Scissors#.27Handed.27_scissors|(right-handed) scissors]] are arranged so that the line being cut along can be seen by a right-handed user, but is obscured to a left-handed user. Furthermore, the handles are often molded in a way that is difficult for a left-hander to hold, and extensive use in such cases can lead to varying levels of discomfort. Ambidextrous scissors will mold the handles to be the same shape, but will not reverse the position of the blades. Most importantly, the scissoring or shearing action that causes the scissors to cut often depends on how how the blades work together. Right handed use causes the blades act one against the other resulting in a cutting effect. A left handed person operating a pair of right-handed scissors may tend to force the blades apart from each other, resulting in a gap between the blades instead of contact, which may reduce the effectiveness of the scissors to zero.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xqbrm_left-handed-scissors-and-cutting_school|title=Lefthanded scissors explained|publisher=dailymotion.com (video)}}</ref> Left-handed [[scissors]] require inverting both the handles and the blades if the left-handed user is to fully see the progress of the cut. Right-handed scissors place the thumb's blade on the left side, while left-handed scissors have this on the right side. This ensures the left hand's motion draws the blades together while cutting, ensuring a cleaner cut.

Other handed items which could prove to be inconvenient for left-handers include [[camera]]s, train-station [[turnstile]]s, [[can opener]]s, potato [[peeler]]s, [[corkscrew]]s, [[ruler]]s, computer [[computer mouse|mice]] and [[Keyboard (computing)|keyboard]]s, [[watch]]es, [[chequebook]]s, spiral [[notebook]]s, lever arch [[file]]s, [[fishing reel]]s, [[boomerang]]s, [[measuring cup]]s and [[pencil sharpener]]s.

Left-handed adaptations have even bridged the world of music. Left-handed guitars are manufactured as an alternative to using a flipped around right-handed guitar. There have even been inverted pianos where the deepest notes correspond to the rightmost keys instead of the leftmost.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lefthandedpiano.co.uk/about.html|title=The First Left-Handed Piano}}</ref> Inverted [[trumpet]]s are made, too. Although most brass instruments' main valves are designed to be operated with the right hand, the prevailing belief is that left-handed performers are not at a significant disadvantage. The [[horn (instrument)|French horn]] is played with the left hand, and there is no evidence that right-handed performers are at a disadvantage on that instrument.

A left-handed individual may be known as a southpaw, particularly in a [[sports]] context. It is widely accepted that the term originated in the [[United States]], in the game of [[baseball]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fightbeat.com/article_detail.php?AT=57|title=Southpaws: Doing It Right the Wrong Way|publisher=fightbeat.com|accessdate=August 2006}}</ref> [[Ballpark]]s are often designed so that batters are facing east, so that the afternoon or evening sun does not shine in their eyes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/downloads/y2008/official_rules/01_objectives_of_the_game.pdf|title=Rules of Major League Baseball, Section 1.04|publisher=MLB.com}}</ref> This means that left-handed [[pitchers]]<ref>''See also:'' [[Warren Spahn Award]], which is given annually to the best left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball.</ref> are throwing with their south-side arm.<ref>{{cite book|last=Olmert|first=Michael|year=1996|title=Milton's Teeth and Ovid's Umbrella: Curiouser & Curiouser Adventures in History|page=108|publisher=Simon & Schuster|location=New York|isbn=0-684-80164-7}}</ref> The [[Oxford English Dictionary]] lists a non-baseball citation for "south paw", meaning a punch with the left hand, as early as 1848,<ref>{{cite web|last=Morris|first=Evan|year=1995|url=http://www.word-detective.com/093098.html|title=Word detective research|accessdate=June 2006}}</ref> just three years after the first organized baseball game, with the note "(orig. U.S., in Baseball)."<ref>{{cite web|title=Definition for "southpaw"|publisher=Oxford English Dictionary Online}}</ref> <!-- Unclear starts here --> A left-handed advantage in sports can be significant and even decisive, but this advantage usually results from a left-handed competitor's unshared familiarity with opposite-handed opponents. Baseball is an exception since batters, pitchers, and fielders in certain scenarios are physically advantaged or disadvantaged by their handedness. <!-- Unclear ends here -->
[[File:US Navy 071019-N-6552M-190 SEAL trainees scan the room for possible threats as part of a SEAL qualification training exercise.jpg|thumb|right|A [[United States Navy SEALs|US Navy SEALs]] left-handed shooter.]]
The vast majority of [[firearm]]s are designed for right-handed shooters, with the operating handle, magazine release, and/or safety mechanisms set up for manipulation by the right hand, and fired cartridge cases ejected to the right. Also, scopes and sights may be mounted in such a way as to require the shooter to place the rifle against the right shoulder. A left-handed shooter must either purchase a left-handed or ambidextrous firearm (which are manufactured in smaller numbers and are generally more expensive and/or harder to obtain), shoot a right-handed gun left-handed (which presents certain difficulties, such as the controls being improperly located for the left hand or hot shell cases being ejected towards the shooter's body, especially the eyes or down the collar or right sleeve), or learn to shoot right-handed (which may be less comfortable, feel "unnatural", and probably less effective). A related issue is [[ocular dominance]], due to which left-handed people may wish to shoot right-handed, and vice versa.

[[Lever action]] and [[pump action]] firearms present fewer difficulties for left-handers than [[bolt action]] weapons do. Many weapons with adjustable sights allow for left-handed use, but for a right eye dominant shooter it is necessary to adjust. In fact, most weapons adjust well enough that a weapon will not eject shells into a left-hander's eye. However, some [[bullpup]] style rifles, such as the [[L85]], cannot be safely fired left-handed at all, being that the empty cases would be ejected directly at the shooter's face.

[[Power tools]], machinery and other potentially dangerous equipment is typically manufactured with the right-handed user in mind. Common problems faced by left-handed operators include the inability to keep materials steady, and difficulty reaching the on/off switch, especially in emergency situations.<ref name="tools">{{cite web|url=http://www.greathomeimprovements.com/Mar07_niche_theme/power-tools/finding-power-tools-for-left-handed-people.php|title=Finding Power Tools for Left Handed People|publisher=Great Home Improvements|accessdate=14 Jan 2011}}</ref> A further factor is the relative strength of the lead hand and arm. A left handed person will tend to have less physical strength in the right hand and arm, and vice versa. So while heavy tools may necessarily have to be held in the right hand due to the handed-ness of the tool, there will be less strength in a left handed person to control and guide the tool.

Also, in some countries classrooms and offices are designed to maximize the use of natural light by placing desks so that the windows are on the left. This often creates inconveniences for left-handers as the shadow of their left hand with the pen makes it harder to see the text being written.

One of the few items in common use that is actually advantageous for left-handers is the [[QWERTY]] keyboard. Over 3000 words in English can be typed with only the left hand on the QWERTY board as opposed to some 300 with the right hand, and overall, 56% of the keystrokes made when touch-typing on a QWERTY board are made with the left hand.<ref>[http://discovermagazine.com/1997/apr/thecurseofqwerty1099/ "The Curse of QWERTY"], [[Jared Diamond]], ''Discover'' magazine, April 1997</ref>

In countries with right-hand drive vehicles, left-handers benefit from having more of the delicate dashboard controls being managed by their dominant hand, as well as the gearstick when driving a manual transmission vehicle.



{{Gallery
|height=150|width=150|lines=4
|File:Montre senestre.JPG|A reverse-style watch has hands that move counter-clockwise.
|File:Left handed epiphone dot.jpg|Close-up of a guitar made for a left-handed person.
|File:John Danks.jpg|Pitcher [[John Danks]] throwing left-handed.
|File:Rem700 action lefthand standard right.jpg|Left-handed [[Remington 700]] rifle action—note that the bolt handle is not visible from this side.
|File:Sega circolare.jpg|A [[table saw]]. Notice how the cutting surface, fence, etc. are on the right side.
}}
}}


{{Authority control}}
==Handwriting and written language==
[[File:Barack Obama signs at his desk2.jpg|thumb|The 44th [[President of the United States]], [[Barack Obama]], is left-handed as were Presidents [[Bill Clinton|Clinton]], [[George H. W. Bush]], [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]], and [[Gerald Ford|Ford]].]]
Because writing when moving one's hand away from its side of the body can cause smudging if the outward side of the hand is allowed to drag across the writing, it is considered easier to write ABC... and other left-to-right-scripts with the right hand than with the left. Furthermore, it is considered more difficult to write [[Chinese characters]] with the left hand than it is to write Latin letters, though difficulty is subjective and depends on the person in question.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.china.org.cn/english/LivinginChina/243637.htm|title=A question of the left being right - and normal|publisher=China Daily|date=February 22, 2008|accessdate=2011-01-19}}</ref> Left-handed people who use [[Arabic]], [[Persian language|Persian]], [[Urdu]], [[Hebrew]] or any other right-to-left script do not have the same difficulties with writing. The right-to-left nature of these scripts prevents left-handers from running their hand on the ink as happens with left-to-right languages.

Left-to-right alphabets can be written smudge-free and in proper "forward slant" with the left-hand if the paper is turned 1/4 turn clockwise (90 degrees to the right), and the left-hand is drawn toward the body on forward strokes, and left to right on upward strokes (as expressed in directionality of the text). It is also possible to do [[calligraphy]] in this posture with the left-hand, but using right-handed pen nibs. Otherwise, left-handed pen nibs are required in order to get the thick-to-thin stroke shapes correct for most "fonts", and the left-handed calligrapher is very likely to smudge the text. Left-handed pen nibs are not generally easy to find, and strokes may have to be done backwards from traditional right-handed calligraphic work rules to avoid nib jamming and splatter. Left-handed people have an advantage in learning 19th-century [[copperplate script|copperplate]] hands, which control line-width by pressure on the point.

== Correlations ==
===Intelligence===
In his book ''Right-Hand, Left-Hand'',<ref>[http://www.righthandlefthand.com/ Right-Hand, Left-Hand official website] Accessed June 2006.</ref> Chris McManus of [[University College London]] argues that the proportion of left-handers is increasing and left-handed people as a group have historically produced an above-average quota of high achievers. He says that left-handers' brains are structured differently in a way that increases their range of abilities, and the genes that determine left-handedness also govern development of the language centres of the brain.

===Income===
In a 2006 U.S. study, researchers from [[Lafayette College]] and [[Johns Hopkins University]] concluded that there was no scientifically significant correlation between handedness and earnings for the general population, but among college-educated people, left-handers earned 10 to 15% more than their right-handed counterparts.<ref>"[http://www.slate.com/id/2147842 Sinister and Rich: The evidence that lefties earn more]", by Joel Waldfogel. Appeared in ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' on August 16, 2006.</ref>

===Politics===
{{See also|Handedness of Presidents of the United States}}
Of the seven most recent U.S. Presidents, four, including [[Barack Obama]], have been left-handed, while a fifth is said to have been ambidextrous: [[Ronald Reagan]], who was left-handed by birth,<ref>{{cite book
|last= McManus|first= Chris
| title= Right Hand, Left Hand: The Origins of Asymmetry in Brains, Bodies, Atoms and Cultures
|publisher= Harvard University Press |year= 2004
|isbn= 978-0-674-01613-2
}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
|last= Wright|first= Ed
|title= Left-handed History of the World
|publisher= Barnes & Noble |year= 2007
|isbn= 978-0-7607-8704-5
}}</ref><ref name="Vast-Consp">{{cite web
|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/03/AR2008070303202.html
|title=A Vast Left-Handed Conspiracy|work=The Washington Post
| year = 2008 | accessdate = January 2011
}}</ref> became president after he defeated left-handed candidate [[George H. W. Bush]] in the Republican primary election. Four years earlier, Reagan had lost the Republican presidential primary to incumbent left-handed President [[Gerald Ford]]. George H. W. Bush succeeded Reagan and later ran for re-election against left-handers [[Bill Clinton]]<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08056/860162-294.stm
|title=Another left-handed president? It's looking that way
|work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
| month = February | year = 2008 | accessdate = January 2011
}}</ref> and [[Ross Perot]].<ref name="Vast-Consp" /> Clinton's second term opponents included Perot, and [[Bob Dole]] who had become left-handed when his right arm was paralyzed in combat 50 years earlier. Left-handed then-Senator Obama defeated left-handed Senator [[John McCain]] in his race for the presidency.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/Story?id=4326568&page=1
|title=Four Out of Five Recent Presidents Are Southpaws
|work=ABC News
| month = February | year = 2008 | accessdate = January 2012
}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Div col}}
* [[Chirality (chemistry)]]
* [[Chirality (mathematics)]]
* [[Chirality (physics)]]
* [[Cross-dominance]]
* [[Geschwind–Galaburda hypothesis]]
* [[Handedness and sexual orientation]]
* [[Handedness and mathematical ability]]
* [[Laterality]]
* [[Right-handedness]]
* ''[[Situs inversus]]''
*[[Southpaw stance]] (boxing)
{{Div col end}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary}}
{{Commons category|Left-handedness}}
*[http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060414010532.htm Lefties Have The Advantage In Adversarial Situations], ScienceDaily, April 14, 2006.
*[http://www.scq.ubc.ca/?p=74 Science Creative Quarterly's overview of some of the genetic underpinnings of left-handedness]
*[http://www.commonties.com/blog/2006/09/13/i-was-a-rebel/ A left-handed senior citizen recalls the emotional torment he faced at a New York public school in the 1920s.] (Audio slideshow)
*Woznicki, Katrina (2005). [http://www.medpagetoday.com/HematologyOncology/BreastCancer/1810 "Breast Cancer Risk Doubles for Southpaw Women"], MedPage Today, 26 September.
* Hansard (1998) ‘[http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmhansrd/vo980722/debtext/80722-15.htm Left-handed Children]’, Debate contribution by the Rt Hon. Mr. Peter Luff (MP for Mid-Worcestershire), House of Commons, 22 July.
* {{cite book
| title = Is your Child Left-Handed? Why, according to psychological tests, left-handed people ought to remain so
| url = http://books.google.com/books?id=EikDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA22
| publisher = [[Popular Science]] | month = December | year = 1918 | page =22
}}

{{hand}}
{{Laterality}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Left-Handedness}}
[[Category:Handedness]]
[[Category:Discrimination]]
[[Category:Mental processes]]

[[ar:أعسر]]
[[bg:Левичар]]
[[ca:Esquerrà]]
[[cs:Leváctví]]
[[co:Mancinu]]
[[da:Venstrehåndet]]
[[de:Linkshänder]]
[[el:Αριστεροχειρία]]
[[es:Zurdera]]
[[eo:Maldekstramanulo]]
[[eu:Ezkerti]]
[[fa:چپ‌دستی]]
[[fr:Gaucherie]]
[[ko:왼손잡이]]
[[id:Kidal]]
[[is:Örvhentur maður]]
[[it:Mancinismo]]
[[he:שמאליות]]
[[jv:Kécol]]
[[kk:Солақайлық]]
[[lv:Kreilība]]
[[lt:Kairiarankystė]]
[[hu:Balkezesség]]
[[arz:شول]]
[[ms:Kidal]]
[[nl:Linkshandigheid]]
[[nds-nl:Linkshaandigheid]]
[[ja:左利き]]
[[no:Venstrehendthet]]
[[pl:Leworęczność]]
[[pt:Canhoto]]
[[ru:Левша]]
[[sco:Caurie-fistit]]
[[scn:Mancusu]]
[[simple:Left-handedness]]
[[sk:Ľavák]]
[[sl:Levoročnost]]
[[ckb:چەپلەر]]
[[sr:Леворукост]]
[[fi:Vasenkätisyys]]
[[sv:Vänsterhänthet]]
[[tg:Чапдастӣ]]
[[tr:Solaklık]]
[[uk:Шульга]]
[[vi:Thuận tay trái]]
[[diq:Çolaxiye]]
[[zh:左利手]]

Latest revision as of 21:03, 1 February 2023

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