Study: Lefties better at gaming

Aussie prof finds that left-handed people are better at managing information during certain complex tasks, including video game playing.

Gamers may have a new excuse for losing against their friends--their left-handed friends, that is. According to research conducted by Dr. Nick Cherbuin at the Australian National University, and published last week in the journal Neuropsychology, left-handers often outperform right-handers at fast or difficult tasks involving a large amount of information or stimuli. These tasks include activities such as talking while driving, piloting jet fighters, and playing fast-paced video games. Approximately one in 10 people are left-handers--famous left-handers include George Bush senior, Bill Clinton, Margaret Thatcher, Matt Groening, and Woody Allen. There are also high numbers of lefties in certain sports, such as tennis, where hand-eye coordination is a key factor. Bjorn Borg, Martina Navratilova, John McEnroe, and Greg Rusedski are all left-handed.

160 Comments

  • melefty

    Posted Jan 7, 2007 9:26 am PT

    YAAAAAAH!!!!!
    GO LEFTYS!!!!
    WE ROCK!!!!!

  • _Sam_

    Posted Dec 26, 2006 10:28 am PT

    why oh why do I have to be right handed

  • Seiki_sands

    Posted Dec 17, 2006 3:33 am PT

    Yet G5 & G7 mice are right-handed exclusively. BOO to Logitech, YES to Razer

  • 7HR1LL3R

    Posted Dec 15, 2006 7:46 pm PT

    not to mention Link (except in the Wii version of T.P.)!

  • ObiKKa

    Posted Dec 14, 2006 10:28 am PT

    Oh, you may want to add Rod Laver, too. But I can think of the many right-handed champs in my mind - Becker, Courier, Sampras, Agassi, Federer (& he's about to overtake Laver's Grand Slam title record!), Graf, Hingis, the Williams sisters, Henin-Hardenne, etc.

    Anyway, if Fatality is still the current champ of pro gaming tournaments, then why is he right-handed?!? I still see this study as suspect.

    Michael Schumacher - the best open-wheeled racing driver the world has EVER seen is right-handed. Ha! Lol, and Aryton Senna was right-handed, too, lol, as well as Prost, etc. Correct me if I'm wrong.

    You see, on my keyboard & mouse combo for the PC games, my left hand does type fingers on keys quite quickly. As if I'd need to be a lefty to rule over the other gamers. Pffft.

  • al

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 7:33 pm PT

    i am the only l handed person in my immediate family, maybe that is why i can"hang" with my kids in video games. especially shooters. i need all the help i can get

  • Axe_336

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 4:37 pm PT

    Yeah, thats right. Explains my L337 gama' skillz!

  • minigunner240

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 3:29 pm PT

    This explains EVERYTHING, especially why my friend and i can regularly pick up any new game (except sports games.....boo sports) and slaughter the owner (who's probably owned the game for months) on our first try.....it happens alot......yeah, we're both leftys, and we rule.....well, everything except for slow games (ex. RPG's) and sports games, nothing against RPG's though you know.....i like those too

  • PiMacleod_basic

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 1:58 pm PT

    ignominiousf, Very True, man. Very true.

    Hmm, my dad is left-handed and is in the top 1k of Warcraft 3 players.

    But other than that, I beat him at all other games... go fig.

  • gameeer1

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 1:35 pm PT

    Yes!! I'm a lefty at basically everything I do!!!

  • edmakel

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 11:07 am PT

    yEAH....RIIIIIGHTTT.....Please! Where was this study done? Australia???

  • gatsbythepig

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 10:35 am PT

    It's all about the hemispheres.

  • undox

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 9:36 am PT

    I knew that using my left hand to control a mouse was a good idea. Now, I have proof if it.

  • Cloud737

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 6:36 am PT

    If I remember correctly, each hemisphere of the brain controls the opposite part of the body (like the left part of the brain controls the right side of your body). Each hemisphere also specialized in certain operations and tasks. I think the left part (right hand) was specialized in mathematics, physics and other similar sciences, while the right part (left hand) specialised in arts (drawing,painting). So there is a possibility that left handers (which use the right part of the brain) would beat right handers at certain task, though I never guessed it would include gaming.
    *Starts to switch mouse to left hand*

  • GKBeetle

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 6:12 am PT

    All I know is that my brother is left-handed, and he is the worst video-game player I've ever met. He plays quite a bit, but still sucks horribly. He's pretty much bad at most sports as well. I guess it's more of a generality than a rule.

  • Reetesh

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 5:24 am PT

    Yay! I am Natural

    Oh yeah, and isnt there another thing like, Lefties use More of both regions of their brain,which makes them special Its just good knowing that

  • cybergooch

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 4:53 am PT

    Interestingly, left-handed people were always associated with criminals and the general sort of hulligans. Early in American history, teachers would discipline left-handed children whenver they wrote with other than their right hand. This process went on until about the late 50's/ early sixties. I believe that is where ambidextrious traits were developed from.

  • WESLY_SNYPES

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 4:11 am PT

    This explains why I used to own in tennis and beat the hell out of people in videogames lol. I could have done without the George Bush association thoug...

  • WESLY_SNYPES

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 4:11 am PT

    This explains why I used to own in tennis and beat the hell out of people in videogames lol. I could have done without the George Bush association thoug...

  • ignominiousf

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 3:39 am PT

    But of course nerds who never leave their basement are better than anyone, right or left.

  • cjcr_alexandru

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 3:17 am PT

    I'm wondering why are so few lefties in the world? Why there are so many right-handed people (including me)?

  • puppiemaster

    Posted Dec 13, 2006 2:07 am PT

    Left handed people are brainier as well, but on average right handed people live 10 years longer, better to be correct all the time, than old and wrong

  • NinjaFoot

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 10:51 pm PT

    Left is right and right is wrong. :-P

  • terrahertz1012

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 10:27 pm PT

    Yeah, left power!!!

  • anamnawshad

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 10:07 pm PT

    Oh noes I'm not lefty!!

  • ares_infernus

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 9:51 pm PT

    so just because you're a lefty and im a righty, you're supposed to kick my unbeaten a$$ in any game........

    me thinks thats alotta mental pressure on the poor lefty

  • ocdog45

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 9:32 pm PT

    I'll take any lefty on! righty's rule!

  • eggsngaming

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 7:26 pm PT

    People who have a better developed sense of fluid intelligence are better at games than people who have good crystallized intelligence. Fluid is more about problem solving and adapting to the environment. Crystallized is all about routine and memorizing data, which is often associated with left brained people, who are commonly right handed, and vice versa. This study doesn't surprise me at all, especially since I am a left hander!

  • cybergooch

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 7:20 pm PT

    SpectorX3, you don't seem to understand. The use of your right hand is controlled by the left hemisphere of the brain, which is often attributed to the logical thought processes. That means that the right hemisphere is responsible for the creative thought process. This characteristic is in EVERYONE and explains why some people have better math skills while others are better and creating stories or art. Even someone who was BORN without arms shows these tendencies. The fact that the article was titled "Study" should have been a clue that the findings are not SCIENCE; it was an independent study with a limited test field. Now, if this was a study that was performed at HALF the universities in the world and they came up with similar findings, THEN the righties should begin to sweat. Not because of lefties video games prowess, but for professions that deal with the high level of stimuli ; race car driver, jet fighter, etc. These type of positions are usually VERY competitive and an edge is an edge. But, alas, it is just one man's findings in a world of billions. I'm left handed and would like to believe this study, but I get my butt handed to me in GoW every night...maybe by OTHER lefties!

  • Daffy101

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 7:10 pm PT

    I challenge any of you lefties

  • LIGC

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 7:01 pm PT

    What about this scenario: a left handed guy playing wii sports tennis with his right hand beats all of his right handed buddies...the conundrum!

  • Kudo13

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 6:56 pm PT

    Yes, we are.

  • blackngold29

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 6:43 pm PT

    I don't know seems a little far fetched, I mean you use your right hand to push buttons and your left only moves the joystick. On consoles anyway.

  • flawedenigma

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 6:31 pm PT

    quick now think of all the righthanded people that are better than them

  • joeamis

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 6:15 pm PT

    I dunno I think the stastics may be invalid due to the staggering amount of right handed people compared to the tiny amount of left handers.

  • SouthpawSamurai

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 5:37 pm PT

    Ha! The RIGHT MAN won't be able to hold us lefties down forever!



    And, yes, there have been many studies done into discrepancies into behavior between the majority of the people and the left-handed minority and in most, if not all, the cases, there are noticeble differences between what each type excels at. It's not perfect because it's more than brain-side dominance that affects one's abilities (for example, a disportionate number of lefties are creatively inclined, but there's certainly a lot of talentless lefties).



    Personally, I've always been good with situations where others start to have sensory overload, so I'm willing to accept it's possibly just because my right hemisphere is dominant (or 'in my right mind' as lefties like to say :-P ).

  • djayshaggy

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 5:33 pm PT

    Aaaand cue all the Right Handers crying BS and all the Left Handers claiming they rule the world!

    You know I'm surprised that they don't make more controllers cattered for Left Handers. Nintendo is the only one who seems to be trying to accomidate. I love playing the Wii left-handed. It's alot funner, and I'm even better at it than I ever was right-handed (as if I needed to be better, you know, being left-handed and all lol)

  • umbrae

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 5:16 pm PT

    Damn Straight. FEAR THE LEFTIES! MUHAHAHAHA

  • Recurvebow_ak47

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 5:11 pm PT

    Im left handed, and my right handed brother just finished getting his ass kicked on Soul Calibur 3, five times by me. I agree with the study.

  • chibi-acer

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 5:11 pm PT

    Whatever. It could be true, but that doesn't mean a lefty can beat ME.

  • chadc07

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 5:06 pm PT

    bs

  • HiResDes

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 5:06 pm PT

    No I'm ambidextrous and I'm no tthat good, Smo17

  • tylerk88

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 5:05 pm PT

    i'm left handed w00t

  • ffgothic

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 5:04 pm PT

    I'm a leftie! Joy to all lefties, we get all the ladies too.

  • Smo17

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 5:00 pm PT

    You'd think ambidextrous would be the best...

  • PotatoSklls

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 4:58 pm PT

    And thus a schism was formed between the lefties and the righties, with both sides carrying out their noble deeds and treachy schemes.

    The World is Quiet Here.

  • Pinkyimp

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 4:53 pm PT

    I'm amazed by how many right handers got offended by this


    RIGHT HANDERS dident get offenced, where did u get that from?? we just stated that this so called "experment" or so they call it was irrevelent and a waste of time and the fact that every lefty in here is goin *LEFTYS will rule the WORLD** is very stupid and i bet every righty could own any of u in 1 game or another and the same for leftys

  • Airek49

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 4:49 pm PT

    Inaccurate. I'm the best gamer in the world and I'm right handed.

    Sorry.

  • TryMe01

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 4:48 pm PT

    maybe it because the lefties are in minority conpared to right handers. gives righties a chance to stuff up more often. Besides, everything is made for right handers

  • Ardus

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 4:45 pm PT

    WAHAHAHAHA! Lefties rule!

advertisement

Hot Stories

Newsmakers

Featured Stories

Submit News

Got tips? Send them in!