Left handers die young

In class, we talked about how left handers die an average of 7 years earlier than right handers.  I was interested why.

According the an ABC article, left handers DO die younger than right handers.  Not only that, but lefties are also more likely to become schizophrenic, alcoholic, dyslexic, and have Crohn's disease, Ulcerative colitis, and have mental disabilities.  Left handers also get into a lot more accidents due to their lack of coordination.  The article makes the point that nature supports survival of the fittest, so why do lefties still exist?

Lefties are special, which allowed them to survive during primitive times.  What they lack in fitness and coordination, they make up for in just being different.  In sports, for example, left handers are odd and sometimes the best.  This means in primitive times, left handers probably won fights against righties more often than they lost.  Lefties were born in a right-handed world, and therefore, they were used to fighting righties.  Righties, though, were probably surprised, and they lost the fight.  The "surprise effect" gave the lefties the advantage.

It is still unknown how people develop handedness (right or left).  Some researchers think it has something to do with genetics.  The most common theory is that handedness is a specialization that is due to language in humans.  Since about 90% of humans have language specialization in the left brain, this corresponds to about 90% of humans having right handedness.  Recently, however, science has shown that this theory is probably wrong.  Handedness is most likely determined by a part of the brain called the KNOB, which is important in motor control.  Either way, the cause of handedness is still undetermined.

Even with all of the problems that left handers may face, including early deaths, lefties also have advantages in life.  They are different, which usually gives them the element of surprise in fights and sports.  Also, studies have shown that lefties are smarter than righties, on average.  Lefties have more people with IQ's over 140 than righties, even though righties make up 90% of the population.  That is a stunning statistic.  Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, and Benjamin Franklin were all lefties.  So, life isn't so bleak for all the lefties out there after all.

Here's a site with a bunch of facts about lefties.  They were actually pretty interesting.  http://www.burlingtonnews.net/blog/?p=7 

Highlights include...

Lefties are usually more creative (makes sense because their right brains are dominant).

Writing with your left hand was punishable by death in the Middle Ages.

Lefties are 15% richer than righties if both attended college and 26% richer for those who graduated.