Yes, and quite a lot. For much of human history, the left side and those who use this hand more have been victims of cultural, social and religious prejudice. The most widely accepted theory today is that the problem began around 350,000 years ago among European Neanderthal peoples, who gave rise to the western populations that exist today. That’s because, in the Northern Hemisphere, if you orient yourself by the Pole Star at night, the Sun appears to move from right to left at sunrise. Soon, the right hand was like the hand of the east, which brings life, and the left like the one that takes away, in the west.
On the opposite way
Prejudice still rolls around and affects even the salary
Not even the Bible helps
The right side is positively mentioned over 100 times in the Bible. Jesus sits at the right hand of God the Father. One of the Psalms states: «And God said: Sit by my right hand until your enemies lie down under your feet». The left appears only 25 times – and almost always negatively. Several Renaissance paintings depict Eve taking the forbidden fruit with her left hand.
the hand that kills
In the 19th century, the Italian physician Cesare Lombroso, known as the “father of criminology”, proposed that left-handers are more susceptible to psychopathies, criminality and violence. Today, these studies are considered outdated (phew!), but they stimulated ideas of fascist eugenics in Europe and even influenced the Brazilian Penal Code of 1940
The king’s speech
Left-handers were victims of violent re-education processes to use their right hands. According to the book The Puzzle of Left-Handness, these abusive practices may have caused a higher incidence of disorders and learning and speech problems among left-handers. An example was the English King George VI, who may have developed a stutter due to having his left hand changed by force.
The Paw of the Asian Tigers
These conditioning techniques are still strong today in countries like China, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia. Parents are supportive: they fear that the social stigma of being left-handed will affect their children’s chances in the job market. A 2007 study by Chang Gung University in Taiwan revealed that 59.3% of left-handed children in the country were forced to become right-handed.
Burn!
The biblical suggestion that the right hand is divine had disastrous consequences in the Middle Ages. Logically, the Catholic Church understood that the left was linked to the Devil. During the Inquisition in the 12th century and the witch hunts organized by Protestants in America in the 16th century, several left-handers were tortured and burned as witches.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Right-handers don’t notice, but most objects are made for them: mouse, scissors, guitar, can opener, even camera (have you noticed where the trigger is?). About 16% of the members of an English association of left-handers say they have already lost their job opportunities because of this: many companies prohibit left-handers from using chainsaws, for example
Even on the payslip
A 2014 Harvard study of 47,000 people in the US and England shows that left-hand users earn, on average, 12% less over their working lives. According to the research, left-handers would be at a disadvantage in the job market because they have a higher incidence of cognitive impediments to learning and trauma caused by re-education
This is bullying!
In several languages, the term left-handed has a negative connotation.
ENGLISH
Left came from lyft, which means weak or powerless
FRENCH
Gauche can also mean incorrect or clumsy.
ITALIAN
Sinistro comes from the Latin sinistrum, which refers to evil or unfortunate.
RUSSIAN
Levyi also describes something marginal, mean, or strange
GERMAN
Lynks resembles lynk, whose translation would be to betray or lie
HUNGARIAN
Bal also means bad
TURKISH
Sun can also indicate discoloration, death or illness
SOURCES:Books The Puzzle of Left-Handness by Rik Smits and The Left-Hander Syndrome: The Causes and Consequences of Left-Handedness by Stanley Coren; scientific publications The National Bureau of Economic Research and Journal of Economic Perspectives; SUPERINTERESSANTE magazine; Daily Mail, Harvard Business Review, Psychology Today, anythinglefthanded.co.uk and rightleftrightwrong.com websites
CONSULTANCY:Clyde Francks, neuroscientist at the Max Planck Institute and visiting professor at Oxford University
See too:
+ Are the animals also right-handed and conhotos?
+ Why are most people right-handed?