This Is Why Some People Are Lefties

Even if they can't use 'regular' scissors, lefties do have some advantages.

Only about 10 percent of the population is left-handed. And it isn't always easy, as the Ted-Ed video above points out: Lefties experience discrimination. They are more prone to some negative experiences and behaviors than their right-handed counterparts, including a greater likelihood of learning disabilities and even some mood disorders. But left-handedness also has its benefits -- including an important evolutionary advantage.

In the video above, educator Daniel M. Abrams investigates the continued existence of left-handedness. He says there's a reason a small proportion of lefties endures, and it's because of an evolutionary phenomenon relating to competitive and cooperative pressures. Learn more by watching the video above, then hug a nearby lefty, showing you're sympathetic to the fact that they had trouble using scissors in grade school.

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