Left-Hand Advantage?

Only 10 percent of the world’s population is left-handed. Scissors, desks, and even stick-shift cars are designed with right-handed people in mind. But lefties may have a reason to celebrate: Their rarity can make them better athletes! In sports like baseball, tennis, and fencing, 20 to 30 percent of the top players are left-handed. 

Lefties excel at these sports because their left-handed motion surprises opponents expecting a more common, right-handed approach. But this doesn’t mean every sport provides lefties with an advantage. Sports scientist Florian Loffing at the University of Oldenburg in Germany found that only sports where players need quick reaction time had a greater number of lefties at the top level.