FYI: Why are some of us born left-handed and what difference does it make?

It's commonly believed that left-handers are more creative than right-handers, while right-handers are more adept at language than lefties.

Left-handers are said to send most of their signals to the right brain, which deals with pictures, images and non-language sounds, while right-handers favour the left brain, which deals with logic, order, organisation and language. Some believe so-called sinistrals are more creative because the left hand sends messages to the 'creative' area of the brain.

However, scientists dispute this theory, saying information from either hand will be sent to the appropriate side of the brain for processing through a connector located between the two brain hemispheres, called the 'corpus callosum'.

About one in 10 people is left-handed, but no one knows for certain why right-handers dominate the population. Males are three times more likely to be left-handed than females.

Psychologists say left-handed people occupy the extremes when it comes to health and abilities, while right-handers are more moderate. Statistics show southpaws have fewer children, higher numbers of spontaneous abortions, lower birth weights, are more prone to serious accidents, are more likely to suffer from serious disorders and have shorter lifespans. They are also more likely to be schizophrenic, alcoholic, delinquent, dyslexic or have mental disabilities.

In contrast, being left-handed has also been linked to intellectual prowess. Tests conducted by a professor at St Lawrence University in New York revealed there were more left- than right-handers with IQs exceeding 140. Examples of brainy mollydookers are Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton and Benjamin Franklin.