Q: Should I Stop My Child From Be Left-Handed?

Laurie Pawlik Kienlen, Psychology Feature Writer, Bruce Kienlen

Posted by
Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen
Jul 14, 2009

On my Personality Traits of Lefties article, several readers asked if they should stop their children from using their left hand. Here's what I think -- plus my thoughts on a different reader's question: "Can someone who was forced to be left-handed be confused or less intelligent?"

Several decades ago, parents forced their left-hand dominant kids to use their right hands because of the negative societal perception of lefties. Today some parents still prefer their child to be right-handed. Sometimes it's for practical reasons (desks, can openers, even cars aren't made with lefties in mind).

Whatever the reason, it's not a good idea to stop children from being left-handed. That's their natural tendancy, it's how the're most comfortable, and the only negative thing is having to adjust to a right-handed world. But, adjusting to a right-handed world is better than forcing yourself to be something you're not!

And, for the reader who asked about his friend who was forced to be left-handed: I'm not aware of any research that states that changing "handedness" can damage intellectual abilities or create confusion. The only way to know for sure is to have the person lead two almost identical lives -- one as a left-handed person, and one as a right -- and then compare her intelligence at the end of both lives.

There are dozens of factors that affect someone's intelligence level and propensity to get confused easily; isolating it to the fact that they were forced to be right-handed just isn't possible.

A couple more interesting facts on lefties: Scientists have discovered a gene that increases an individual's chances of being left-handed, and different research shows that lefthandedness might be linked to an increased chance of breast cancer.

If you're interested in different ways to asses personality (which the article on lefties and personality traits was all about), read What Your Favorite Dog Breed Reveals About Your Personality Traits.