Handedness May Be Due to Habit, Not Nature, New Study Suggests

The age-old question of why humans are predominantly right-handed or left-handed may be reframed, with a new study suggesting that handedness could develop through habit rather than being purely innate.

For decades, the scientific community has debated the origins of handedness, generating thousands of publications but leaving many mysteries unresolved. A recent study, published in the journal PNAS on June 30, shifts the focus from 'why' we become right- or left-handed to 'how' this manual preference is established.

John Krakauer, a neuroscience professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, who led the study, explained that there is often no significant performance difference between hands when performing simple tasks like pushing a door or picking up an object. "Our hypothesis is that the fine motor use of tools really reveals these manual differences, with writing being the ultimate example," Krakauer stated.

The research suggests that the development of handedness is more closely linked to the precise motor skills required for tool use, with writing serving as a prime example of how these differences become apparent. This perspective challenges previous assumptions and offers a new avenue for understanding this fundamental human trait.

“

When you push a door or pick up an object off the ground, there isn't really a performance difference between your two hands. Our hypothesis is that the fine motor use of tools really reveals these manual differences, with writing being the ultimate example.