International Left-Handers Day is annually observed across the globe on 13 August to celebrate left-handers and the uniqueness, advantages, and disadvantages of being left-handed.
- The day also aims to raise awareness about the challenges faced by the left-handed people in the world designed predominantly for right-handed individuals.
Background:
i.The 1st International Lefthanders Day was celebrated in 1976, initiated by Dean Robert Campbell, former American Army Captain, and the founder of Lefthanders International, Inc.
ii.The day has been globally recognised when the Left-Handers Club launched International Left-Handers Day on 13th August 1992.
Genetic Insights into Left-Handedness:
i.Recent research highlights a genetic component of left-handedness. A rare gene variant, TUBB4B is linked to cell structure, which might influence hand dominance.
ii.Rare variants of this gene are 2.7 times more common in left-handed people, although they account for only 0.1% of cases.
iii.The gene TUBB4B may play a role in the development of the brain asymmetry that underlies the determination of a dominant hand.
iv.Brain hemispheres have different dominant functions. In left-handers, the right hemisphere controls the dominant hand, differing from the typical left hemisphere control in right-handers.
v.Left-handed people are more likely to have certain psychiatric traits, such as schizophrenia or autism.
Key Facts:
i.Sinistrophobia is the fear of left-handedness or things on the left side of the body.
ii.Lefties are also called “southpaws,” the term originated in the United States of America (USA) in connection with baseball pitchers.
iii.Approximately 10-12% of the world’s population is left-handed.
