America Shifts to Left-Handed Presidents

The 44^th President of the United States, Barack Obama, is left-handed. Since Richard Nixon, there have only been two right-handed presidents. For a segment of the population that comprises only one in every ten people, there has been a shift in dominance to the left-handed in the recent years in the most powerful political position in the world.

Left-handed individuals tend to be male.

According to the Daily Camera, research indicates that left-handed people are more global in their usage of their mental capabilities. Right-handers tend to rely on the left side of their brain, primarily in the area that controls language (to which president George W. Bush proves an exception). Because of the bilateral nature of a left-handed individual's usage of the brain, it is believed that they are able to critically think in a broader sense.

The Left-Handers Club named President Obama their left-handed Person of the Year. The organization, which promotes research into left-handedness and the manufacture of left-handed products, chose the 44^th president as inspiration for others. Others considered for the honor were actress Angelina Jolie and musician Sir Paul McCartney.

Still, before Gerald Ford, there were only three other left-handed presidents: James A. Garfield, Herbert Hoover, and Harry S. Truman. Of all 43 presidents (Grover Cleveland was elected twice, his terms separated by the election of Benjamin Harrison), only 8 presidents have been left-handed. But, as noted earlier, five of the last seven presidents have been left-handed: Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.

So, why the dominance of late? That is difficult to determine. Five of the left-handed presidents were Republicans, three were Democrats. Three of the last five were Republicans. Which means... nothing.

But the left-handed propensity to use both sides of the brain may give left-handers an advantage in an increasingly complex and technical world. According to Suite 101, research indicates that left-handed individuals, not just presidents, are exceptionally quick-thinkers. Left-handers have an easier time changing hand-usage if needed. This ability seems to translate into mental flexibility, or the ability to alter opinions and beliefs as new information is accessed. Left-handed individuals tend to also be more independent, possibly due to having to deal with the reality of right-handed world in which nothing seems to be made for them.

Right-handers tend to be more rigid in their thought processes.

After eight years of the rigidity of the right-handed 43^rd president, a more adaptable and flexible left-handed 44^th president may just be what the United States needs to lead them out of a worsening economic situation, two foreign war entanglements, and an unfavorable standing among the world's nations

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Sources:

Suite101.com

Infoplease.com

DailyCamera.com