关于左撇子的5个有趣事实

关于我们喜爱的左撇子的5个有趣事实

Left-handed people make up 10% of the human population on average, but chances are you know a southpaw. Why some people are left-handed has always been a bit of a puzzle, but researchers have found some interesting defining leftie characteristics that highlight the differences from the right-handed majority. Here are just a few of them.

左撇子人口平均占总人口的10%，但你可能认识左撇子。为什么有些人是左撇子一直是个谜，但研究人员发现了一些有趣的定义左撇子的特征，这些特征突出了他们与大多数惯用右手的人的区别。这里只是其中的一些。

1.They're more likely to have a slender face. According to a (somewhat odd) study, people with slender lower faces are 25% more likely to be left-handed. Those slender-jawed folks also are more susceptible to tuberculosis, for what it's worth.

他们更有可能拥有一张更瘦的脸。根据一项(有点奇怪的)研究，脸型较瘦的人左撇子的可能性要高出25%。不管怎样，那些下巴更细的人也更容易患肺结核。

Specially made left-handed notebooks put the spiral binding on the right to avoid the discomfort of regular spiral notebooks, which were designed for right-handed people. (Photo: Have a nice day Photo/Shutterstock)

2.They're good at math. Have you ever noticed the lefties in your life are particularly quick with arithmetic? While a link between mathematical ability and left-handedness has long been rumored, a study found a "moderate, yet significant correlation" between the two. Math scores were 5% to 10% higher among lefties in a study of 2,300 students in Italy between the ages of 6 and 17 who were asked to complete simple mathematical tasks and problem-solve.

他们擅长数学。你有没有注意到你生活中的左撇子算术特别快?虽然数学能力和左撇子之间的联系一直是谣传，但一项研究发现两者之间存在“适度但显著的相关性”。在一项对2300名年龄在6岁到17岁之间的意大利学生进行的研究中，这些学生被要求完成简单的数学任务并解决问题，左撇子的数学成绩要高出5%到10%。

Lefties like this batter are over-represented in athletics. (Photo: Richard Paul Kane/Shutterstock)

3.They're slightly more susceptible to allergies, migraines and some diseases. Left-handedness is a result of biological diversity, and while lefties may have the advantage in a fight, they may have disadvantages in other areas. For example, this study found that left-handed people may be predisposed to allergies earlier in life. And The New York Times reported on a series of studies that showed "left-handed people are more likely to suffer from learning disabilities, stuttering, migraine headaches and, according to the latest findings, autoimmune diseases, like ulcerative colitis, myasthenia gravis and celiac disease, in which the body attacks its own tissues."

他们更容易过敏、偏头痛和得一些疾病。左撇子是生物多样性的结果，虽然左撇子在战斗中可能有优势，但他们在其他领域可能有劣势。例如，这项研究发现左撇子可能很容易过敏。《纽约时报》(The New York Times)报道了一系列研究，这些研究表明，“左撇子更容易出现学习障碍、口吃、偏头痛，根据最新发现，他们还可能患上溃疡性结肠炎(ulcerative colitis)、重症肌无力(myasthenia gravis)和乳糜泻(celiac disease)等自身免疫性疾病，在这些疾病中，身体会攻击自己的组织。”

Studies have shown left-handed folks are more likely to be male than female. (Photo: VYarochkina/Shutterstock)

4.They tend to drink more often. If you've heard that southpaws are more likely to be alcoholics, that's a myth. A study on the rumor published in the British Journal of Health Psychology found that left-handed people do tend to drink more often, but they aren't more prone to risky drinking.

他们往往更经常喝酒。如果你听说左撇子更有可能酗酒，那就错了。《英国健康心理学杂志》(British Journal of Health Psychology)上发表的一项关于这一谣言的研究发现，左撇子确实更喜欢喝酒，但他们并不更倾向于冒险喝酒。

Left-handed people tend to drink more, but aren't more prone to alcohol abuse. (Photo: DisobeyArt/Shutterstock)

5.They feel and express emotion differently. Going back to the brain hemispheres, a study published in the journal PLoS ONE found that lefties processed motivation on the right side of the brain, whereas right-handed people had motivation activity on the left side. This finding may affect how mood disorders are treated, where the left side of the brain is stimulated.

他们的感觉和表达方式都不一样。回到大脑半球，发表在《公共科学图书馆·综合》(PLoS ONE)杂志上的一项研究发现，左撇子处理动机时用的是右脑，而惯用右手的人处理动机时用的是左脑。这一发现可能会影响情绪障碍的治疗方法，即左脑受到刺激的地方。