Are Left-Handed People Smarter?
The Myth: Left-handed people are more intelligent and creative than right-handed people.
The Reality: Left-handedness is weakly associated with slightly different cognitive profiles but not with higher overall IQ. The 'creative lefty' stereotype is largely a myth based on anecdotal examples.
What the Science Says
The idea that left-handed people are smarter is one of the most persistent IQ myths, partly because several famous geniuses (Einstein, da Vinci, Newton — though Einstein's handedness is debated) were reportedly left-handed. However, large-scale studies show the reality is more nuanced. A 2019 meta-analysis found no significant difference in overall IQ between left-handers and right-handers. Left-handers do show slightly different cognitive profiles: they may have a small advantage in spatial tasks and divergent thinking (generating multiple solutions to open-ended problems), but they also show slightly higher rates of certain learning difficulties like dyslexia. The 'creative lefty' stereotype likely persists because of confirmation bias — we remember the left-handed geniuses and forget the far larger number of left-handed people with average abilities. About 10% of the population is left-handed, which means that with 8 billion people on earth, there are about 800 million left-handers spanning the full range of cognitive ability.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Are left-handed people smarter?
No. Large studies show no significant difference in overall IQ between left-handers and right-handers. Left-handers may have slightly different cognitive profiles (small advantages in spatial tasks) but not higher general intelligence.
Why do people think lefties are smarter?
Confirmation bias — several famous geniuses (Einstein, da Vinci) are said to have been left-handed, creating the perception. But with 10% of the population being left-handed, there are hundreds of millions of left-handers across the full IQ range.
Do left-handers have different brains?
Slightly. Left-handers show different patterns of brain lateralization — their right hemisphere is often more involved in language processing. This may contribute to slightly different cognitive profiles but does not result in higher overall intelligence.
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MyIQScores Editorial Team
Researchers in cognitive psychology, psychometrics & educational science
Last updated
May 10, 2026
All content on MyIQScores is reviewed for scientific accuracy against peer-reviewed research in cognitive psychology and psychometrics. Our editorial team cross-references each article with published literature before publication and updates pages whenever new research warrants a revision.