The notion that left-handed people are smarter than right-handed people have been around for a while. Some studies have suggested that there may be a link between left-handedness and higher IQ, while others have suggested that right-handed people have an advantage.
This is what the studies tell us when it comes to left hand and IQ.
Causes of “Left-handedness”?
Left-handed people are people who use their left hand to do main tasks such as throwing, throwing, gathering things, using tools such as writing, holding chopsticks to eat rice, slicing,… make up about 10 percent of the population world number.
Among them are famous left-handed people such as:
- Philosopher – Aristotle
- Emperor of France – Napoleon Bonaparte
- Baseball legend – Babe Ruth
- Renaissance painter – Leonardo Davinci
- Former US President – Barack Obama
- Microsoft founder – Bill Gates
Historically, lefties were considered outcasts. In the Middle Ages, left-handed people were often accused of witchcraft. In the early 20th century, many educators in the United States forced left-handed people to “retrain” their natural inclination to be right-handed.
Scientists also once thought that left-handedness was caused by mild brain damage during early development. These myths have been debunked for years now, and some people claim that left-handedness is actually linked to higher intelligence.
While the above claim sounds appealing, the medical literature shows it to be inconclusive.
What do the studies say?
The belief that the dominant hand is associated with intelligence dates back many centuries.
Here are the studies that both support and oppose the idea that handedness is related to intelligence.
Are right-handed people smarter?
A 2010 study by the Journal of the International Society of Neuropsychology found that right-handed people did slightly better on cognitive tests when compared to left-handed people.
A 2015 study in the journal Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews looked at five meta-analyses that included data from more than 16,000 individuals. They found no difference in IQ levels between left and right-handed people, but left-handed people appeared to be more likely to have an intellectual disability.
However, this study shows that people who are intellectually gifted or have special development are also likely to be left-handed.
Is left-handedness smarter than right-handedness?
Other studies have found that the left seems to have the upper hand when it comes to intelligence.
A 2007 study in the Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology found that, out of 150 subjects, left-handed people were significantly better at performing on intelligence tests than those who did not. right-handed. Right-handed people also took longer to complete this test.
Another study in the journal Brain in 2019 found that there are genetic differences between intellectuals and right-handed people.
Examining data on about 400,000 people, the scientists found that the left and right hemispheres of the brain were better connected and coordinated in language-related problems in left-handed people.
These characteristics suggest that left-handed people may have superior language skills.
Things to know about the dominant hand
Hand handedness is the tendency to have better skill and more comfort when we use this hand to perform tasks.
Besides right- and left-handedness, there are also some less common variations, including:
- Mixed handedness: use different hands depending on the task to be done
- ambidextrous: can do everything with both hands
Although there are differences between the left and the right, the higher level of intelligence is probably not one of them.
In the end, the researchers concluded that left-handed people were no smarter than right-handed people.
