Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

The Worst Parts About Being Left-Handed

The Worst Parts About Being Left-Handed
white spiral book with pens and watches
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Roughly 12 percent of the world's population is left handed.

Studies have shown that being in this distinct minority comes with a number of advantages.

Indeed, four the last seven Presidents of the United States were all left-handed,

And considering Phil Mickelson, Rafael Nadal and Oscar De La Hoya are all left-handed as well, it seems lefties are at an advantage on the field or in the court or arena.

Though, if you were to speak to a left-handed person about their experience, they'll more than likely bemoan all the disadvantages of being a lefty.

Of which, there are admittedly several.


Redditor Mythalieon waa curious to hear what people considered the biggest disadvantage to being left-handed, leading them to ask:
"What is the worst thing about being left-handed?"

Take Your Pick...But Mainly Scissors...

"The smudging is annoying."

"The right-handed desks suck."

"But it’s scissors, man."

"F*cking scissors."- Icy_Mortgage6654

Sucks The Joy Out Of Morning Coffee

"All the cute designs on mugs are only visible for right handed people."- jdon93

Baking Complications

"Measuring cup labels are on the other side when I use my left hand."- maninthemoonpie

Great British Baking Show GIF by PBS Giphy

Good Penmanship Is Futile

"Fountain pens, and pencils."

"F*cking hate smudges."- deanfranz12

"When you write, you have to put your whole arm on the paper because you are actively pushing it."

"Whereas right handed people just have to apply a little force not to pull the paper."- iStealP

To Assume Makes An A** Out Of You And Me...

"When someone tries to teach you how to play guitar, line up a pool cue, shoot a bow and arrow, and they can’t because you’re left-handed."- aeowyn7

Dougie Payne Guitar GIF by Travis Giphy

At Least Some Progress Has Been Made...

"My grandad was left-handed."

"He went to a catholic school, this was in the 1930s/early 1940s UK, and the nuns would tie his left hand behind him and hit him until he wrote with his right hand."

"They said that it was a ‘sign of the devil’ if someone was left-handed."

"So cruel."- miz_moon

Might As Well Be Dying...

"Hearing the following words:"

"'Ohhh you're left handed!'"

"It becomes grating after the 1000th time of hearing it."- redbutterfly_78

In All Seriousness, It's Worse Than You Think...

"Left handed people aren't taught how to write as lefties, they are taught as if they are right handed."

"Pens tips are designed for right handed people, especially ballpoint and fountain pens."

"But even others work less efficiently for lefties."

"This is because we have to push the pen across the page, whereas they are pulling it."

"This causes frequent breaks in pencil tips, catching of nibs, and this ink/graphite will be rubbed against the lefties' hands, often ruining their writing."

"In addition, this pushing motion means there is pressure going into the hand of the lefty, trying to push the pen into their grip."

"As a result, they have to squeeze tightly."

"This reduces control of the pen, leading to bad handwriting and pain after even short periods."

"I know doing exams was awful for the lefties."

"Handwriting is for right handed people."

"Pretty obvious, you are taught a way to move your hand to get the shapes of letters, but lefties aren't taught the opposite."

"They are just left to figure it out, but these kids don't know what they are doing wrong."

"A lack of equipment for lefties, whether it is left handed scissors or desks or sharpeners."

"It may seem trivial, but these little things can make a leftie feel weird or like their can't figure out even the tiny little things that everyone else is getting so quickly."

"The effects:"

"This is a cause of lefties craning their wrists round so that they don't smudge and get a better pulling motion."

"As well as craning wrists, some may lean round, or massively rotate their page just so it isn't in the way, but no one taught them these solutions."

"Bad handwriting."

"Lack of confidence, which affects schoolwork and how the kid see his/herself."

"It may be the kid simply can't do what their classmates can do, despite trying his/her hardest."

"Uncomfortable positions causing pain in the neck, back and wrist."

"There are some, very small, organizations that have developed ways to properly teach left handed children how to sit and write comfortably."

"It usually involves angling the page slightly, but clockwise, whereas most lefties angle it anti-clockwise."

"I'd gladly volunteer my time to teach left-handed kids how to write."- untakenu

Left-handed people have to take the good and the bad much more than right-handed people.

However, considering Mark Twain, Albert Einstein and Ruth Bader Ginsburg were all left-handed, it seems that it's easy to make the most of the disadvantage.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Screenshot of Donald Trump
@atrupar/X

Trump Dragged After Making Ridiculous Claim About Randomly Finding Billions On The 'Tariff Shelf'

President Donald Trump was criticized after he claimed to reporters this week that officials in his administration suddenly found $30 billion they "never knew existed"—located on what Trump referred to as the "tariff shelf."

Tariffs are a tax on imported goods, usually calculated as a percentage of the purchase price. While tariffs can shield domestic manufacturers by making foreign products more expensive, they are also used as a tool to penalize countries engaged in unfair trade practices, such as government subsidies or dumping goods below market value.

Keep Reading Show less
food prep
Katie Smith on Unsplash

Professional Chefs Share The Top Mistakes Average Home Cooks Make

With the expansion of cable television and then streaming services, a number of competition shows featuring amateur home cooks. Shows like Master Chef and The Great British Bake Off garnered huge followings and spawned numerous global and domestic spin-offs.

The food produced by these amateurs is beyond the talents of even some professional chefs. But what about the average home cook? What can they learn from the professionals?

Keep Reading Show less
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

RFK Jr.'s HHS Blasted As CDC Panel Considers Dropping Life-Saving Hepatitis B Vaccine For Newborns

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine advisory panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), met Thursday for the first of two days of discussions about childhood vaccine schedules and recommendations.

The panel focused on the hepatitis B vaccine and plans to vote on Friday whether to continue recommending it be given to all children at birth or to recommend something entirely different. The panel previously tabled making a decision on infant and early childhood hep-B vaccination in September.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshots from @monicasanluiss's TikTok video
@monicasanluiss/TikTok

Bride's Friends Surprise Her With Montage Video Of All Her Exes At Bachelorette Party—And People Are Mortified

While Jenny Han's novel To All the Boys I've Loved Before was a major hit, and even became a great film success in 2018, not everyone's married to the idea of reconnecting with their exes after the relationships end.

It might be nice to imagine staying friends after the relationships, imagining our exes missing us or regretting losing us, or even giving us an apology for the things they did wrong. But most of us pine for this for a little while, realize it's all a fairy tale, and push past it to better things and new love.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshots from @alexamcnee's TikTok video
@alexamcnee/TikTok

TikToker Sparks Debate After Calling Out Driver's Extremely Bright Headlights For Blinding Her

Whether we are drivers or passengers, we've all experienced that annoying, possibly painful moment of feeling like we're being blinded by a fellow driver whose headlights are far too bright for a standard car on a standard road.

But while most of us complain about it to ourselves and leave it at that, TikToker Alexa McNee stepped up for all of us and called it out.

Keep Reading Show less