Annie Reneau

According to the largest (so far) meta-analysis ever done on handedness published in 2020, approximately 10.6% of the population is left-handed. Unfortunately, throughout parts of human history, the one in 10 who are lefties have been punished for it, with various superstitions and assumptions leading to vilification and discrimination. The scientific era saw a shift in social attitudes toward left-handedness, and we're now several generations into it being totally normal.

Except that normalization hasn't solved all problems for our southpaw friends. While lefties may not be judged for the hand they use anymore, they still face challenges in a world built predominantly by and for right-handed people. So when someone asked left-handed people, "What struggles do you have that we may not know about?" thousands of people weighed in.

Some of the answers weren't surprising, but a lot were genuine revelations, even for some left-handed people themselves. Here are some of the top answers:

The ever-loosening broom handle

"My broom handle wants to unscrew every time I use it! Now that I know it’s easier to watch out for. And yeah I tested it awkwardly using my right hand grip and did not have that issue!"

"Mind-blown. Been on this planet 4+ decades as a lefty and never put that puzzle together."

"Me too! I’m always taping it up so it doesn’t unscrew, I had no idea it was due to using it with my left hand."

Upside-down latte art

"Extremely minor, but baristas always make latte art assuming that you're right handed, so it's always upside down for me. The most common latte art is a heart and it always looks like a butt if you're left handed."

Latte art is a left-handed problem Giphy

"Not minor at all. They get hearts, we get butts - our whole life. No wonder we're traumatized!"

"The latte art is upside down when I sip my coffee. Yes, it's as awful as it sounds."

Bumping elbows at the dinner table

"Sitting next to people at dinner table on your left side."

"Two of my three kids are left-handed. We know our restaurant table setup by heart so as to not fight elbows. 😅"

"When I traveled to Japan I was told it was expected for me to always sit on the tables end so I wouldn’t inconvenience anyone else."

"My mother is a lefty and was always in charge of seating arrangements for dinners for this exact reason."

Two words: Can opener

"My first year of college was the first time I ever didn’t have an electric can opener. I had to ask my roommate to open cans, or spend thirty minutes just destroying the can to get my Spaghetti-O’s out."

"F-ing can openers. My righty husband accidentally grabbed my lefty opener one day and was like 'is this how you feel all the time!?'"

Ever try to use a can opener with your non-dominant hand? Photo credit: Canva

"Oh my god my endless difficulty with can openers is a left-handed thing? There's a solution? I just thought I was terrible at opening cans."

"Ring pull cans are the best invention ever for us lefties."

One word: Scissors

"Scissors. Nearly every pair of scissors I've used only chew on the paper when I try to cut. So I have to switch to my right hand and lose a fair amount of control."

"The more ergonomic they are for righties, the more painful they are for lefties."

"That is my friend's number one complaint. Every time he grabs a pair, he lets out a sigh and starts cutting with the precision of an elementary school kid."

Ball-point pen pushing problems

"Ball point pens literally don't work well when you're left-handed, and I'm not talking about smudging.

A right handed person uses a pen by pulling it across the paper, which pulls the ball out of the pen slightly, letting ink flow. Left-handed people push the pen towards the paper (unless they hook their hands), which jams the ball into the pen and restricts the flow of ink. This not only makes the pen not work, it can also ruin the pen for future use."

Left Handed Writing GIF by Pentel Nederland Giphy

I threw away so many pens over the years. Growing up in a household of only left-handers, I just thought Ball point pens were a shit technology."

"I’m 44 years old and you just blew my mind. I’ve always hated pens. I never thought it was because I was left handed."

"YES! I'm right-handed, but we write from right to left in Arabic. So, your unusual problem in English is a common problem for us 😅"

"Thank you for saying this one, every time I mention this people act like I’m crazy, and I have to be like, you just know this was only tested by right handed people, because it keeps skipping!"

Piano part playing problems

"If you’re learning to play pop/rock piano, your good hand is stuck playing the simple part of most songs and your inferior right hand has to play the harder part requiring more coordination."

"Piano might be a huge reason why I’m more ambidextrous than a full leftie."

"I’m currently learning piano and this is an issue for sure."

More complex piano parts are usually played with the right hand.Photo credit: Canva

Power tool dangers

"Power tools are annoying and downright dangerous. Chainsaws were already mentioned. Circular saws are the same way. Either try with your left hand and have sawdust thrown in your eyes or try it with a shaky right hand. Fortunately most of the tools with the side handle can go on either side, but I’ve seen my fair share that aren’t adjustable."

"Yep. Recently managed to cut the cord of my hedge trimmer…. With the hedge trimmer."

"I learned that I must operate tools with whatever hand is easier to reach to the point where I need it, across the workpiece, into some opening, whatever. When I use my left hand, not only is it the non-dominant one, the tools make it extra hard to operate them that way."

Not all of these challenges have easy solutions, though there are now special products specifically made for lefties like left-handed scissors, can openers, power tools, and more. In fact, there are even entire stores now for left-handed items. There's truly never been a better time to be a lefty.

Season 3 GIF by The Simpsons Giphy