International Lefthanders Day 2024: Anywhere you go, left-handers are always the odd ones out. According to statistics, lefties make up about 10 per cent of the global population. And, apart from having certain issues in using gadgets which are mostly made for right-handed people, being a southpaw also has some subtle effects on your physical and mental health.

While the brains of left-handers do operate differently than those of right-handed people according to doctors, the use of dominant hands is determined early on in fetal development. Here is a look at some of the most common facts about being left-handed, and what it might really mean for your health.

According to studies, across the world lefties are more prone to certain mental disorders. Research says that people with psychosis have a 20 per cent likelihood of being left-handed. A study from Yale University in Connecticut, and the University of Texas in Dallas assessed 107 patients at outpatient psychiatric clinics. For those with mood disorders like depression or bipolar disorder, the rate of left-handedness was close to average at 11 per cent.

However, in those with psychosis–like schizophrenia, the rate of left-handedness is more than 40 per cent, well above average. According to experts, their brain laterality plays a role in this.

Also, research says lefties are more prone to having negative emotions and anger as well.

According to a British study, the fetuses of women who are extremely stressed during their pregnancy are more likely to touch their faces with their left hands than their right, making it the first sign of a left-handed child.

Also, in other studies, babies with low birth weight, or born to older mothers, were more likely to be lefties.

According to a study in Australia, the performance of left-handed kids in school which includes their vocabulary, reading, writing, social development, and gross and fine motor skills is not as good as compared to the right-handers. Mixed-handed kids performed even worse than lefties.

Experts say left-handed children mostly use the two halves of their brains in unusual ways, which puts them at risk for mild learning disabilities. However, most kids catch up with their classmates as they get older.

According to a study, published in the British Journal of Cancer women with a dominant left hand have a higher risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer than the right-handed ones. Experts say the risk difference is more pronounced for women who have experienced menopause.

Even though the research on this topic is a little vague, experts believe that left-handers are more likely to become alcoholics. Small sample studies have said those with a dominant left-hand drink more often than their right-handed counterparts.

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