The belief that there is a link between talent and left-handedness has a long history. Leonardo da Vinci was left-handed. So were Mark Twain, Mozart, Marie Curie, Nicola Tesla and Aristotle. It’s no different today – business leader Bill Gates is a left-hander, as is footballer Lionel Messi.

天才和左撇子之間自古以來就有著某種聯(lián)系。達(dá)芬奇、馬克?圖文、莫扎特、居里夫人、尼古拉?特拉斯、亞里士多德都是左撇子。直到現(xiàn)在這種聯(lián)系依然屢見不鮮，商界領(lǐng)袖比爾?蓋茨、足球運(yùn)動(dòng)員梅西都是左撇子。

But is it really true that left-handers are more likely to be geniuses? Let’s take a look at the latest evidence – including our new study on handedness and mathematical ability.

但是左撇子真的更容易成為天才嗎？不妨來看看最新的調(diào)查：左右手偏向性實(shí)驗(yàn)與數(shù)學(xué)能力的關(guān)系。

Unsurprisingly, the role played by handedness in mathematics has long been a matter of interest. More than 30 years ago, a seminal study claimed left-handedness to be a predictor of mathematical precociousness. The study found that the rate of left-handedness among students talented in mathematics was much greater than among the general population.

長(zhǎng)期以來，左右手偏向性在數(shù)學(xué)中的作用備受矚目。30多年前，一項(xiàng)重要實(shí)驗(yàn)表明，左手偏向性預(yù)示著數(shù)學(xué)能力提前發(fā)育。該試驗(yàn)發(fā)現(xiàn)，在擅長(zhǎng)數(shù)學(xué)的學(xué)生中，使用左手的人數(shù)比例遠(yuǎn)大于不擅長(zhǎng)數(shù)學(xué)的學(xué)生中使用左手的人數(shù)比例。

However, the idea that left-handedness is a predictor of superior intellectual ability has been challenged recently. Several scholars have claimed that left-handedness is not related to any advantage in cognitive skills, and may even exert detrimental effects on general cognitive function and, hence, academic achievement.

但是日前，左撇子的智力發(fā)育更好這一說法面臨挑戰(zhàn)。一些學(xué)者認(rèn)為，左手偏向性和認(rèn)知技巧優(yōu)勢(shì)沒有任何聯(lián)系，左手偏向性甚至可能有損一般的認(rèn)知能力，并因此妨礙獲得學(xué)術(shù)成就。

For example, one study discovered that left-handed children slightly under-performed in a series of developmental measures. Also, a recent review reported that left-handers appear to be slightly over-represented among people with intellectual disabilities. Another large study found that left-handers performed more poorly in mathematical ability in a sample of children aged five to 14.

比如有項(xiàng)實(shí)驗(yàn)發(fā)現(xiàn)慣用左手的兒童在種種發(fā)展性測(cè)試中表現(xiàn)欠佳。最近也有報(bào)告表示左撇子相較其他人更多地表現(xiàn)出了智力障礙。更有大型試驗(yàn)稱，通過對(duì)5到14歲的兒童進(jìn)行數(shù)學(xué)能力測(cè)試，發(fā)現(xiàn)其中慣用左手的孩子表現(xiàn)更加不如人意。

Left-handers seem to have, on average, an edge when solving demanding mathematical tasks – at least during primary school and high school. Also, being strongly right-handed may represent a disadvantage for mathematics. Taken together, these findings show that handedness, as an indicator of connectivity between brain hemispheres, does influence cognition to some extent.

一般來說，左撇子可能在解決復(fù)雜數(shù)學(xué)問題上有些優(yōu)勢(shì)——至少在小學(xué)和中學(xué)是這樣。凡事都只使用右手可能不利于數(shù)學(xué)能力的發(fā)展。綜合來看，左右手偏向性不但表明左右大腦半球互有連結(jié)，還在某種程度上影響著認(rèn)知能力。

That said, handedness is just an indirect expression of brain function. For example, only a third of the people with a more developed right hemisphere are left-handed. So plenty of right-handed people will have a similar brain structure as left-handers. Consequently, we need to be cautious in interpreting people’s hand preference – whether we see it as a sign of genius or a marker for cognitive impairment.

這就說明左右手偏向性間接代表著大腦功能。比如只有三分之一的左撇子右腦發(fā)育更完全。所以很多右撇子和左撇子的大腦發(fā)育程度完全相同。這樣一來，在定義不同的左右手偏向性是天才的象征還是認(rèn)知障礙的外在表現(xiàn)時(shí)，我們就要謹(jǐn)慎一些。

The belief that there is a link between talent and left-handedness has a long history. Leonardo da Vinci was left-handed. So were Mark Twain, Mozart, Marie Curie, Nicola Tesla and Aristotle. It’s no different today – business leader Bill Gates is a left-hander, as is footballer Lionel Messi.

天才和左撇子之間自古以來就有著某種聯(lián)系。達(dá)芬奇、馬克?圖文、莫扎特、居里夫人、尼古拉?特拉斯、亞里士多德都是左撇子。直到現(xiàn)在這種聯(lián)系依然屢見不鮮，商界領(lǐng)袖比爾?蓋茨、足球運(yùn)動(dòng)員梅西都是左撇子。

But is it really true that left-handers are more likely to be geniuses? Let’s take a look at the latest evidence – including our new study on handedness and mathematical ability.

但是左撇子真的更容易成為天才嗎？不妨來看看最新的調(diào)查：左右手偏向性實(shí)驗(yàn)與數(shù)學(xué)能力的關(guān)系。

Unsurprisingly, the role played by handedness in mathematics has long been a matter of interest. More than 30 years ago, a seminal study claimed left-handedness to be a predictor of mathematical precociousness. The study found that the rate of left-handedness among students talented in mathematics was much greater than among the general population.

長(zhǎng)期以來，左右手偏向性在數(shù)學(xué)中的作用備受矚目。30多年前，一項(xiàng)重要實(shí)驗(yàn)表明，左手偏向性預(yù)示著數(shù)學(xué)能力提前發(fā)育。該試驗(yàn)發(fā)現(xiàn)，在擅長(zhǎng)數(shù)學(xué)的學(xué)生中，使用左手的人數(shù)比例遠(yuǎn)大于不擅長(zhǎng)數(shù)學(xué)的學(xué)生中使用左手的人數(shù)比例。

However, the idea that left-handedness is a predictor of superior intellectual ability has been challenged recently. Several scholars have claimed that left-handedness is not related to any advantage in cognitive skills, and may even exert detrimental effects on general cognitive function and, hence, academic achievement.

但是日前，左撇子的智力發(fā)育更好這一說法面臨挑戰(zhàn)。一些學(xué)者認(rèn)為，左手偏向性和認(rèn)知技巧優(yōu)勢(shì)沒有任何聯(lián)系，左手偏向性甚至可能有損一般的認(rèn)知能力，并因此妨礙獲得學(xué)術(shù)成就。

For example, one study discovered that left-handed children slightly under-performed in a series of developmental measures. Also, a recent review reported that left-handers appear to be slightly over-represented among people with intellectual disabilities. Another large study found that left-handers performed more poorly in mathematical ability in a sample of children aged five to 14.

比如有項(xiàng)實(shí)驗(yàn)發(fā)現(xiàn)慣用左手的兒童在種種發(fā)展性測(cè)試中表現(xiàn)欠佳。最近也有報(bào)告表示左撇子相較其他人更多地表現(xiàn)出了智力障礙。更有大型試驗(yàn)稱，通過對(duì)5到14歲的兒童進(jìn)行數(shù)學(xué)能力測(cè)試，發(fā)現(xiàn)其中慣用左手的孩子表現(xiàn)更加不如人意。

Left-handers seem to have, on average, an edge when solving demanding mathematical tasks – at least during primary school and high school. Also, being strongly right-handed may represent a disadvantage for mathematics. Taken together, these findings show that handedness, as an indicator of connectivity between brain hemispheres, does influence cognition to some extent.

一般來說，左撇子可能在解決復(fù)雜數(shù)學(xué)問題上有些優(yōu)勢(shì)——至少在小學(xué)和中學(xué)是這樣。凡事都只使用右手可能不利于數(shù)學(xué)能力的發(fā)展。綜合來看，左右手偏向性不但表明左右大腦半球互有連結(jié)，還在某種程度上影響著認(rèn)知能力。

That said, handedness is just an indirect expression of brain function. For example, only a third of the people with a more developed right hemisphere are left-handed. So plenty of right-handed people will have a similar brain structure as left-handers. Consequently, we need to be cautious in interpreting people’s hand preference – whether we see it as a sign of genius or a marker for cognitive impairment.

這就說明左右手偏向性間接代表著大腦功能。比如只有三分之一的左撇子右腦發(fā)育更完全。所以很多右撇子和左撇子的大腦發(fā)育程度完全相同。這樣一來，在定義不同的左右手偏向性是天才的象征還是認(rèn)知障礙的外在表現(xiàn)時(shí)，我們就要謹(jǐn)慎一些。