Things you didn't know about left-handers

Barack Obama and Prince William are just two of the many famous people who write with their left hand. Here are some things you didn’t know about left-handers…

1. They see better underwater

Strangely, left-handers are able to see more easily when they’re under the water. This’ll come in handy if you’re a diving enthusiast. Scientists aren’t sure why, but it may be because a different part of the brain is dominant in people who are left-handed.

2. They spend less times in queues

When there are several queues to choose from, studies show that people tend to veer towards their dominant side. As all the right-handed people go to their right, the queues on the left are often shorter, which means lucky lefties spend less time waiting in line.

3. They draw faces differently

Most left-handed people will draw faces facing to the right and find it difficult to draw them looking towards the left. Leonardo da Vinci, perhaps the most famous left-handed artist of all, preferred drawing right-facing profiles.

4. They’re less able to roll their tongues

In experiments, fewer left-handers were able to turn up one or both sides of their tongue. However there also seem to be sex differences in tongue-rolling ability, with more men being able to roll their tongues than women.

5. They pass their driving tests sooner

According to reports, 57 per cent of left-handers passed their driving test first time, making them 10 per cent more likely than right-handers to pass at the first try. Some of the best drivers have been left-handed, including racing driver Ayrton Senna.

6. They’re more easily embarrassed

Left-handers seem to be more likely to be shy, bashful and easily embarrassed. In recent research, more lefties than righties said ‘yes’ to statements like, ‘I worry about making mistakes’ and ‘Criticism or scolding hurts me quite a bit.’

7. They’re often leaders

Five of the last seven US presidents – President Obama, Bill Clinton, George Bush Sr, Ronald Reagan (ambidextrous) and Gerald Ford – have been left-handed. Closer to home, he may lean to the right, but prime minister David Cameron is also left-handed.

8. It’s not just people!

About 50 per cent of dogs and 40 per cent of cats are left-pawed. You can test this by putting  something sticky on your dog or cat’s nose and seeing which paw they use to remove it. Left handedness is also found in walruses and, to a certain degree, in humpback whales and catfish.