August 13 – International left-handers’ Day

August 11, 2005

August 13 – International left-handers’ Day

International left-handers’ day on Saturday will highlight the quirks and habits, including kissing, left-handed people adopt to help then cope in a right-handed world.

The London-based Left-handers Club recently surveyed their 45,000 members worldwide to find out how they adapted.

The responses were enlightening and often funny, Left-handed Club spokeswoman Lauren Milsom, said today. ``Kissing in particular causes confusion, as left-handers often have trouble when offering a greeting kiss on the cheek to a friend.

``Their natural position is to move to their own right side and try to kiss on the left cheek of their friend. The trouble is that most right-handers do the opposite and it ends up with an embarrassing clash.’’

Dinner parties were also found to be embarrassing, with left-handers commonly helping themselves to their neighbour's drink or bread roll at the table. Left-handers prefer to decorate a room clockwise, and some even suggest they enjoy a film or play much more if seated on the left of the theatre. The survey showed 71 percent of respondents had difficulties at school, mainly with writing, but only 24 percent got any help. About 10 percent of the people are left-handers. The 13th annual International left-handers’ Day hopes to raise awareness of left-handedness and the challenges caused by living in such a right-handed world, Ms Milsom said.

``We want to educate designers and manufacturers to accommodate left-handers’ comfort and safety in new product and building design.’’ Saturday would help to dispel many superstitions that have surrounded left-handedness in many cultures for hundreds of years and which still create prejudice today. Their major survey found more left-handers than the usual percentage working in the media, internet business, architect and design and in the mounted police.

A Financial Times report said internet business chiefs were twice as likely to be left-handed as in traditional businesses.

ENDS

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