Right vs Left?

[rigney]

A majority of people throughout the world are "right handed". Statistically, less than 15% of us are "left handed". Is there a scientific reasoning as to why?

[lemur]

the subconscious will to conformity?

[Mr Skeptic]

Probably an instance of negative frequency dependent selection, ie you're better off having the genes for left-handedness when other people don't. Lefties were great assassins and warrior-heros, since they as lefties had a surprise and training advantage vs right handed people (which is due specifically to the proportions of both). Of course in the past few years, that is no longer the case and now it is more of a disadvantage overall. If my guess above is right, then lefties should be disappearing, very slowly of course. Alternately, if it could be some developmental thing instead, then I'd have no clue how to explain it.

[michel123456]

A majority of people throughout the world are "right handed". Statistically, less than 15% of us are "left handed". Is there a scientific reasoning as to why?

 

It is sometimes assumed that left handed may represent up to 30%. But since left handed are (or were) considered handicaped, all efforts are (were) made to change or at least hide it.

I know no scientific reason why people are left handed. I know no scientific reason why people are right handed either. There are some clues in the wiki article. If it came from a random source, it should be a 50/50 situation.

 

the subconscious will to conformity?

If it is, it must be very deep. I am left handed. My mother noticed the "problem" because as a 2 or 4 year boy, when using a spoon in my bowl, I complained that I couldn't turn my soup, my bowl is square.

Instead, I believe being left handed turns you into unconformity. Imagine yourself in a world where everything is reversed.

 

Probably an instance of negative frequency dependent selection, ie you're better off having the genes for left-handedness when other people don't. Lefties were great assassins and warrior-heros, since they as lefties had a surprise and training advantage vs right handed people (which is due specifically to the proportions of both). Of course in the past few years, that is no longer the case and now it is more of a disadvantage overall. If my guess above is right, then lefties should be disappearing, very slowly of course. Alternately, if it could be some developmental thing instead, then I'd have no clue how to explain it.

Without backup, what I was told:

In antiquity, and later, the sword was in your right hand and the shield in your left hand. In battle, when the shield didn't protect correctly, death was coming from the left side.

In Latin, "sinister" means "left" (sinistra in modern Italian). The left side has been associated to the bad side, the side of death.

 

Left handed warriors had the advantage of surprising by hitting from the unexpected side.

Edited December 11, 2010 by michel123456

[rigney]

Only my curiousity led me to ask the question. I'm left handed and never saw it as a handicap other than smudging my penmanship. Now the keyboard has pretty much corrected that. Has there ever been any deep research as to the why or how it happens? I do several things with either hand, yet; not equally as well with both. I always batted a ball right handed, golfed righty, bowled lefty, shoot a pistol righty and a rifle left handed. Weird? Maybe. You can't call that being ambidextrous, because I can't do things equally with both hands. My left has always seemed dominent and was just wondering if any of you have the same characteristics? Had a friend in school who was totally right sided except for kicking a football. Strange?

Edited December 11, 2010 by rigney

[md65536]

I never really figured out the details, but doesn't the left side of the brain control the right side of the body, and vice versa?

And the left side of the brain is more analytical, while the right side is more creative and junk. I wouldn't doubt that the motor control parts of the brain are quite separate from the thinking/reasoning parts of the brain, but the left-brain motor control stuff might have better connections to the analytical parts of the brain which might make it better for precise control.

 

Then left-handedness might indicate something to do with the intrabrainial connections... perhaps a stronger connection between the hemispheres, which overrides the left-brain advantage, or perhaps some deficiency that reduces fine motor control in the left-brain.

 

I myself am "mostly righthanded" but have less right-handed fine motor control, and I write with my left hand. I wouldn't doubt that some slight deficiency gave my right hand an abnormal disadvantage, and then years of practice in writing strengthened and honed the left-hand advantage.