左撇子真的更聰明？

From mythsto modern research, the label attached to being left-handed is undeniable. Left-handed people, or “lefties” as they are often called, are generally believed to be good at art –Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso and Michelangelo Buonarroti were all left-handed.

從神話到現(xiàn)代研究，關(guān)于“左撇子”的標(biāo)簽一直都在。人們通常認(rèn)為，慣用左手的人(他們也經(jīng)常被稱為“左撇子”)都很擅長(zhǎng)藝術(shù)——達(dá)·芬奇、畢加索以及米開朗基羅全都是左撇子。

But what exactly makes someone left-handed or right-handed?

但為什么有人慣用左手，有人慣用右手呢?

Our brain is divided into two parts: the left hemisphere, and the right hemisphere. The left hemisphere, linked to logic and analysis, is responsible for the right side of the body. The right hemisphere, linked to creativity and imagination, controls the left side of the body.

我們的大腦被分為左、右兩個(gè)大腦半球。左腦與邏輯分析能力有關(guān)，控制身體的右側(cè)。而與創(chuàng)造力和想象力相關(guān)的右腦則控制身體的左側(cè)。

So, people tend to believe lefties are controlled by the right side of the brain, and are more creative than right-handers. Some also think that lefties may not be as good as demonstrating mathematical and problem-solving skills as their right-handed counterparts.

所以，人們相信左撇子們受右腦的控制，比右撇子更有創(chuàng)造力。一些人還認(rèn)為，左撇子或許在數(shù)學(xué)以及解決問題的能力上并不如右撇子出色。

However, a recent study carried out by scientists from the University of Liverpool in the UK and the University of Milan in Italy proved this theory wrong.

然而，英國(guó)利物浦大學(xué)以及意大利米蘭大學(xué)的科學(xué)家們近期發(fā)布的一項(xiàng)研究卻證實(shí)這一理論是錯(cuò)誤的。

The study, published on academic website The Conversation, involved more than 2,300 students in Italy aged between 6 and 17 years old. They were asked to complete several mathematical tasks of different skill levels.

發(fā)布于學(xué)術(shù)網(wǎng)站The Conversation上的這項(xiàng)研究在意大利邀請(qǐng)了2300多名6-17歲的學(xué)生進(jìn)行實(shí)驗(yàn)。學(xué)生們被要求完成幾個(gè)不同難度的數(shù)學(xué)問題。

It turned out the left-handers outperformed the others when the tasks involved difficult problem-solving. This pattern was particularly clear in male adolescents.

結(jié)果表明，左撇子在解決難題時(shí)的表現(xiàn)比其他人都要出色，在男性青少年中這點(diǎn)尤為明顯。

However, when it came to simple arithmetic, there was no difference between left- and right-handers.

然而，左撇子和右撇子在簡(jiǎn)單算術(shù)上的表現(xiàn)并沒有多少區(qū)別。

It was also discovered that those who are “severely” right-handed performed less well in all the experiments compared to “moderate” right-handers and left-handers.

該研究還發(fā)現(xiàn)，“重度”右撇子在所有實(shí)驗(yàn)中的表現(xiàn)都不如“中度”右撇子以及左撇子。

“Taken together, these findings show that handedness... does influence [abilities] to some extent,” the study’s authors wrote.

“綜合來看，這些發(fā)現(xiàn)表明慣用手在某種程度上的確影響了(人們的能力)，”該研究的作者寫道。

Nevertheless, “handedness is just an indirect expression of brain function (功能),” wrote psychology professor Giovanni Sala from the University of Liverpool in the UK, lead author of the study. Sala also noted that only one third of people with a highly-developed right side of the brain are left-handed. It means that there are lots of right-handed people with a similar brain function as left-handers.

然而，“慣用手只是大腦功能的一種間接反映，”該研究的主要作者、英國(guó)利物浦大學(xué)心理學(xué)教授喬瓦尼·薩拉寫道。薩拉還指出，在右腦高度發(fā)達(dá)的人中，只有三分之一是左撇子。這意味著不少右撇子的大腦功能其實(shí)和左撇子的十分相似。

Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin are some famous left-handers. And at least six former US presidents are left-handed, including Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. So if you’re a leftie, you might be on your way to becoming a genius, or even the president.

愛因斯坦、牛頓以及達(dá)爾文都是著名的左撇子。而包括奧巴馬以及克林頓在內(nèi)的至少6位美國(guó)前總統(tǒng)也都是左撇子。所以如果你是個(gè)左撇子，或許你將成為一名天才，甚至還能當(dāng)上總統(tǒng)。