I was mid-way through a bike ride in Ladahk, feeling the ache in my right hand, when a thought occurred to me: “Huh, how come the throttle is always on the right side of all bikes?” 

Statistically, about 90% of people in the world are right-handed. Full disclosure: I am right-handed, part of this largely ignorant majority. 

And if you think about it, some things are designed clearly with that in mind. 

Throttle on a motorcycle? Right hand. Accelerator pedal in a car? Right foot. Chinese characters? Much harder to write with your left hand (ask any of your Chinese left-handed friends). Cameras? Shutter button on the right. SAR21 rifle that all (most? many?) Singaporean men handle? Right-handed. Left handers? Learn to shoot with the other hand. Many musical instruments are also made for right-handed players (famously, Jimi Hendrix, who’s left-handed, played a right-handed guitar turned upside down). Even apps/software are primarily right-handed. There are still complaints about how smartphone interfaces are not left-hander friendly. And peep the new iPhone 16 and its fancy Camera Control – you can visualise how unconducive it will be for left-handers. 

The world is designed for right-handed people, largely because (I suspect) a lot of it was designed by right-handed people. 

And all of it seems statistically logical to me, if admittedly incomplete. Except, additional research also uncovered that in fact left-handedness actually has a darker past. (This wiki page is worth reading.)

Even in language, ‘left’ has negative connotations. The world itself is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word lyft, which means 'weak', and there are many other instances where ‘left’ has linguistically negative meanings.

You may have even heard of or encountered people who have been forced to switch their handedness, such as learning to write with the right hand instead of the left, which highlights the negative perception of left-handers in many cultures. 

It’s weird to think that left-handedness as a naturally occurring thing was only formally and scientifically recognised in the 1800s, and it is only in the 20th century that it became a more widely accepted norm. (They even used to associate left-handedness with witchcraft!) 

Interestingly, the one realm that exhibits over-representation of left-handers is sports. This seems to make sense. Sports demands searching for competitive advantages, and being unconventional can actually benefit. In one-on-one sports like boxing and fencing, southpaws have the advantage of unpredictability. In fact, some athletes, like baseball pitchers, even learn to use their non-dominant hand to give themselves the upper hand. 

And in some team sports, especially with invasion games, there are tactical benefits to left-handers (think left-footed soccer players on the left wing). 

What does this all mean? I have no idea. There’s still no clear and full explanation for ‘why’ people are left-handed, though present research suggests that it stems from a combination of genetics, biology and the environment. 

But I think it’s worth us not taking for granted that the world is “the way it is” – things are the way they are because of intent, whether explicit or not. 

Granted, there’s likely no real utility to make all products in the world ambidextrously ergonomic (it may require radical redesigns). Left-handers still draw the short-straw. Even with greater accommodation for left-handedness, it seems like the multitude of other minorities in the world, left-handers will continue to struggle against systemic discrimination. May the fight towards greater inclusivity (of all people!) continue. 

~ Desmond

Photos from Unsplash