Left-handed people often perform better than right-handers at fast or difficult tasks that involve lots of information or stimuli, new research suggests.

For instance left-handers might be better at playing fast computer games, talking while driving in heavy traffic and piloting a jet fighter — activities that need both hemispheres of the brain to process information.

Research shows that the left and right hemispheres communicate and work together better in left-handers, as information transfers from one to the other slightly faster and perhaps more efficiently.

The findings by Nick Cherbuin of the Australian National University and colleagues are in November's issue of the journal Neuropsychology.

He says a left-hander's brain is wired slightly differently compared to a right-hander's, as it tends to be more symmetrical with larger and perhaps faster connections between hemispheres.

The research found that on average, those with faster connections were more efficient at performing tasks that require processing in two hemispheres.

"Typically we tend to use more our two hemispheres together when tasks are very fast or very hard, and one hemisphere does not have enough resources to cope," Cherbuin says.

"Examples might be dealing with multiple stimuli that are presented very briefly or tasks which require interpretation of a lot of information such as talking while driving in heavy traffic, piloting a jet fighter or playing fast computer games.

"As our brain ages, we lose processing resources in the two hemispheres, but left-handers may be able to cope better because the sharing of resources across their hemispheres is more efficient."

The computer tests in 80 right- and 20 left-handers measured how fast information transferred between hemispheres by hitting a button to indicate whether a light flash was left or right of a dot.

Another test to match letters found left-handers performed better when letters flashed on both sides of the dot, requiring collaboration across hemispheres.

Right-handers did better when letters were on the same side of the dot, making them more efficient at single hemisphere processing.

Cherbuin, a right-hander, says the seven per cent to 10 per cent of people who are left-handed adjust to the right-handed world by using their right hand more.