Left-handedness

Left-handed people make up around 12% of the population and only 1% are ambidextrous. We also know that 12% are men and only 8% are women, with no apparent reason for this difference. These figures could be higher, but until recently, left-handed people were historically forced, as children, to use their right hand for tasks in which they would naturally use their left hand. This still happens in Portugal and in some countries and many parts of the world, using the left hand is considered impolite and/or disrespectful. If you´re left-handed and visit places like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal and the Middle East, it´s considered rude behavior to eat, pick up or hand things with your left hand.

So, as we know, for many cultures being left-handed is not considered a good thing and left-handed people have been considered unlucky and even evil - the word "sinister" comes from the Latin word for left.
However, and fortunately, things have changed!
It is now known that the brain is cross-wired, which means that the right side controls the left side of the body and vice versa.
Scientists at Oxford University claim that left-handed people´s brains work differently to right-handed people.
Moreover, most likely because of this, studies suggest that left-handed people often have greater creativity and problem-solving skills.

Fun fact: at Casaibéria, 27.7% of employees are left-handed and 5.5% are ambidextrous.

Another curiosity: they are all women!

Author: Daniela SIlva