Reference Terms
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Left-handed
A person who is left-handed primarily uses his or her left hand, more so than the right hand; a left-hander will probably use the left hand for tasks such as personal care, cooking, and so on. Writing is not as precise an indicator of handedness as it might seem, because many left-handed people write with their right hand but use their left hand for other tasks. Approximately 8 to 15% of the adult population is left-handed. Studies indicate that left-handedness is more common in males than females. Left-handedness, in comparison to the general population, also appears to occur more frequently in identical twins, and several groups of neurologically disordered individuals (people suffering from epilepsy, Down's Syndrome, autism, mental retardation, dyslexia, etc.)There have been many famous left-handed people, and the associated right brain hemisphere that is said to be more active in left-handed people has been found in some circumstances to be associated with genius and is correlated with artistic and visual skill.
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