10 hidden dangers of being left-handed

Being left-handed comes with some shocking health concerns, from anxiety to breast cancer. What it is about being a leftie that makes a person more susceptible to these risks? “There is a famous creed in research that correlation does not equal causation,” says Eugene Charles, a chiropractor and director of The Applied Kinesiology Center of New York. In other words, being left-handed does not cause these health problems. However, studies have shown that left-handed individuals are more likely to be at risk for certain chronic conditions and even early death, so let’s dive in.

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We’re starting with the big one. Studies have shown that left-handed people tend to not live as long, possibly because they’re trying to manoeuvre their ways through a world designed for right-handed people. Everything from that right-handed desk you struggled with in biology to how cars are built put lefties at a disadvantage. In fact, a study in The New England Journal of Medicine found that left-handed people are over five times more likely to die in a car accident than right-handers.

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Writing with your left hand could mean that you’re more at risk for some serious psychiatric disorders. A 2013 study from Yale University looked at the handedness of patients in a mental health hospital. Researchers found that 40 percent of the schizophrenic patients reported writing with their left hands, as opposed to just 10 percent of the population. Being left-handed is also associated with dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

We all need to be diligent with monthly cancer self-checks, but this is especially important if you’re left-handed. In a study in the British Journal of Cancer, researchers found that left-handers have a higher risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer, especially after menopause, than right-handers do.

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If classes feel overwhelming for lefties, they’re not alone. A 2009 study in Demography found that left-handed children tend to not perform as well academically as their right-handed peers. Lefties scored lower in skills like reading, writing, social development and vocabulary. This remained true when researchers controlled for variables like socioeconomic status and parental involvement.

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If your partner opts to sleep on the couch rather than deal with your nighttime antics, here’s why: A study from the American College of Chest Physicians found that left-handers are more at risk for developing limb movement disorder. This disorder is characterised by the involuntary jerking of your arms and legs while you sleep.

If you still refuse to watch thrillers like Get Out, blame it on your hand. According to a study in the Journal of Trauma and Stress, left-handers are more likely to express symptoms of post-traumatic stress after watching clips from a scary movie than righties. Lefties may also experience more negative emotions during and after the movie.

If scary movies don’t faze you, here’s something truly frightening: Simply writing with your left hand could mean you’re not going to make as much money as righties. According to a study in the Journal of Economic Perspectives, Harvard researchers found that left-handers’ salaries were about 9 to 19 percent lower than their right-handed colleagues. Left-handers were also more likely to drop out of university.

Does it ever feel like you have a hard time moving on from an argument or negative experience? It may be related to the way your brain is wired. According to a study in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, left-handed individuals are more prone to hanging onto negative emotions and needing longer to process their feelings.

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In the past, researchers believed that left-handed people were more prone to alcoholism than their right-handed peers. While this correlation hasn’t held up in the research, it does seem that lefties tend to drink more. According to a study published in The British Journal of Health Psychology, left-handers reported drinking more alcohol than righties.