All about southpaws on International Left Handers Day

SAN FRANCISCO (NEWS1130) – Did you know left-handed people make better lovers?

It’s as good a day as any to find out why, with August 13th being International Left Handers Day.

I’m assured it is true, but Margaret Majua with Lefty’s the Left Hand Store in San Francisco is vague on hard details.

“Even though lefties are only 10 to 15 per cent of the population, they show up in far higher percentages among the famously beautiful and handsome actors. Some of the most iconic sex symbols of all time were all left handed — JFK Jr., Steve McQueen, Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Angelina Jolie, Sarah Jessica Parker, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Julia Roberts and so on,” she tells me.

And does it really feel feel different when you use your left hand? When it comes to hugging, that is.

“Uh, I don’t think so,” she laughs, though I’d be willing to set up an experiment if the control group includes the aforementioned lefties.

Majua is a southpaw herself. In fact, all her employees are, too; they sport tee shirts with the phrase ‘Yes, I have to be left handed to work here.’

“That upsets some people, some righties,” admits Majua. “Every now and then, a kid will come and ask why there’s a store for left-handed people, and why isn’t there a store for right-handed people. We have to laugh and tell them that all the other stores are for right-handed people.”

Her store, on Pier 39 on the San Francisco waterfront, is famous for selling left handed products — not just scissors, but also manicure sets, cooking tools, office sets, potato peelers, can openers and corkscrews, among other products.

“Two of our biggest sellers are pens for lefties with quick-drying ink and an offset point so you can see what you’re writing. The kids and college students really like the spiral notebooks with the spirals on the other side so you don’t have to rest your arm on it when you’re trying to write. That’s something righties don’t even think about,” she chuckles.

I ask if it’s really true that left-handed people are more creative or think differently from righties.

“It appears to be true. Lefties are really over-represented in arts and politics,” Majua tells me.

“We have pictures and lists of all the famous lefties up in our store and I think it does hold true that lefties are more creative and more artistic. Bill Gates, for instance, and President Obama — you’d be surprised at how many world leaders have been left-handed.”

International Left Handers Day is a great day to mark how far we’ve come in accepting southpaws, who have faced a lot of discrimination throughout history. At one point, left-handed people were even considered to be “marked by the devil” by some.

“In the 18th and 19th centuries, there was prejudice against left-handers; they weren’t considered to be desirable mates and the percentage of the population declined,” admits Majua.

“But in the 20th century, as minorities of all types came into their own, the taboos and superstitions about left-handedness largely faded away and the percentage of lefties began to surge. We think it’s because we are no longer tying the hands of left-handed kids behind them and forcing them to use their right. The nuns aren’t rapping their knuckles anymore.”

If you’re looking for a gift to help celebrate International Left Handers Day, Lefty’s the Left Hand Store does ship to Canada (10 per cent of their business is from north of the border). Just excuse the smudged ink on the invoice. It may have been written with a right-handed pen.

The official hashtag is #lefthandersday