Only 10% of the population is left handed, but more than 50% of star baseball players are southpaws. A study published in The Journal of the Royal Society Interface theorizes the discrepancy represents a fundamental difference between cooperation and competition.

According to researchers, cooperation favors same handedness, so people can share tools to build things everyone can use equally well. On the other hand, competition favors uniqueness, which is why a left handed fighter has an advantage over a right handed adversary.

True Strength Moment: There are sports that don’t favor the unusual. Consider golf, where only 4% of the top players are lefties. But where there’s a competitive advantage to be realized, true competitors are going to adapt in unusual ways. What’s the competitive edge keeping you on top of your game?