11 Common Tasks That Are Challenging for Left-Handed Individuals

In the Medieval period, left-handed individuals had more to worry about than just smudging their ink: being left-handed was linked to demonic possession. Although southpaws are no longer seen as the devil's pawns today, those in the 10 percent of the population who are left-handed still face unique challenges. Here are some everyday tasks lefties often struggle with.

1. Using Scissors

Unless left-handed scissors are specially ordered, cutting paper can quickly become an exercise in frustration. Scissors usually have differently shaped handles, one of which is designed for the thumb—leaving a lefty’s thumb to get stuck in the hole since they are holding it upside down. Fortunately, many operating rooms are equipped with scissors designed for both hands.

2. Writing

Since a left-handed person’s hand moves across the writing surface, signatures, notes, and other writings often turn into a smudged mess. Writing in three-ring binders or notebooks is even trickier, as the spine makes it hard to rest the hand on a smooth surface. The most frustrating part? Holding the pen cap with the left hand causes it to loosen, making the writing tool fall apart mid-use.

3. Eating with others

If you know someone who prefers dining alone, ask them about their dominant hand. It might be because using their left hand for eating leads to constant struggles for space at the table with someone on their left eating with their right hand. This also means their drinking glasses often sit too close, with spills always being a potential hazard.

4. Walking

Even when sober, a lefty’s walking habits are impacted. Why? Because when they encounter someone walking in the opposite direction, both individuals instinctively lean toward their dominant side—resulting in another near collision.

5. Banking

To prevent their pens from going missing or being stolen, most banks attach them to a flimsy chain on the desk. This is a minor inconvenience for right-handed individuals, but left-handed people struggle to sign checks with a chain constantly pulling against their hand's natural motion.

6. Getting Dressed

Zippers on jeans, jackets, and other clothing typically open on the right side, which can be tricky for left-handed individuals. The challenge increases with buttons. In some women’s fashion, the closures are reversed, appearing on the left side. This tradition is believed to have originated in the Victorian era when servants dressed their masters: Left-sided buttons would be on their right.

7. Using Cell Phones

Cell phones can present challenges for left-handed users. For one, holding the phone with the left hand can sometimes block the antenna, causing poor reception. Additionally, control buttons often default to the right side in landscape mode, making them difficult to access.

8. Measuring Food Ingredients

Measuring cups made of glass or plastic often print serving sizes to the left of the handle. This means that left-handed individuals, who pour with their left hand and hold the cup with their right, will either see nothing or the metric measurements.

9. Using a Car's Cup Holder

While most left-handed people are accustomed to shifting gears with their right hand, retrieving a water bottle or cappuccino from the cup holder on the right side of the driver’s seat is still an awkward task.

10. Using a Can Opener

Manual can openers are designed with right-handed users in mind, forcing lefties to either obscure the knob with their left hand or turn it in the opposite direction. (Thankfully, pull-tab cans have been a lifesaver for many left-handed people.) The same issue arises with potato peelers, which are made for the right-handed majority. However, a few stores offer mirror-image kitchen tools.

11. Painting One's Fingernails

While most everyday tasks can be adapted or tolerated by lefties, those who decide to paint their nails often end up with their left hand in a mess. This is true for right-handed people as well—giving them a taste of what it's like to be left-handed.