In my quest to try to find the differences in relationships with a left handed person and a right handed person, I was surprised to find that there really isn’t much information about this topic. I wanted to see if there might be some scientific proof (at least a hypothesis) that there is a different thought process or emotional state of mind of how left-handers view relationships as oppose to right-handers. However, my research came up short and I am left to make inferences about the dissimilarities that I have personally encountered.

Let me start by stating the data that I did find about left-handers and right-handers, according to the studies the way the brain works is incredibly complex, but this simplified explanation will give you some understanding of where our left-hand dominance comes from. The brain is "cross-wired" so that the left hemisphere controls the right-handed side of the body and vice-versa and hand dominance is connected with brain dominance on the opposite side. The left hemisphere of the brain (right hand control) controls speech, language, writing, mathematics, science and logic; this is the linear thinking mode. The right hemisphere (left hand control) controls music, art, creativity, perception, emotions; this is the holistic thinking mode. Brain dominance makes left-handers more likely than right-handers to be more creative and visual thinkers, which is supported by the fact that there are higher percentages of left-handers to be in professions such as music and arts, generally media.

Here are some myths and superstitions about left-handers and how the stigmas about it being "evil" affect their image of themselves in this right-handed society. It was believed that if a person used their left hand to complete any tasks then they were thought to be evil or in cahoots with the Devil, some people were even burned at the stake for using their left handed, perhaps because in many images the Devil is portrayed as being left-handed. There are many comments in our society that associated the left side as bad or wrong. For example, a left-handed compliment is really considered an insult. (MORE EXAMPLES ARE NEEDED). As a result, I think left-handed people have felt somewhat of an outcast constantly feeling like they have to fit in.

My closest friends and my longest relationships have been with lefties. I have felt more comfortable being myself with lefties and it is not a conscious choice; I have noticed the left-handedness after the relationships developed. I feel a kinship with lefties (being half Chinese and half Dominican, my parents might as well have called me Sasquatch) because in a society where "right" is the norm, lefties have a difficulty adapting to this "norm". I understand why right-handedness is the norm, about 80% of the population is right-handed, but for those few who are not, it is difficult to fit in. Especially at a young age when the smallest thing like being left-handed can make you feel like the elephant man. This dissimilarity from most of the world makes a person more perceptive and sensitive to how others feel and it makes a person more reserved about expressing ones' innermost feelings, usually holding back their deepest love and caring for select few who are closest to them and to those who value depth and authenticity in their relationships. Maybe being a lefty makes one be more in tune to what's on the inside than the facade most people try to present.

However, as a right handed person I see the differences between myself and my left handed friends. As a linear thinking individual, I have difficulty expressing my creative side but most of my "lefties" are very creative and when I am around lefthanded people I feel comfortable expressing this side of myself, not to mention that my most meaningful relationships have been with left-handers because they are capable of expressing themselves in a way that I am unable to. They are, also, more laid back which I can have very difficulty with because I am so high strung about doing this in a certain order. As a "rightie", my logical brain does things by going from point A to point B where my "lefty" pals see abstract ways of accomplishing tasks. Perhaps my relationships with "lefties" have been so meaningful because they complement me, they are the yin to my yang or perhaps it's a coincidence and I am just drawn to particular types of people that have certain attributes I admire. But it's a hell of a coincidence that my strongest bonds have all been with left-handers and that they seems to possess all these same qualities.

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Written by : Alina Chong