This Is Why Most People Are Right-Handed, The Reason Is Hidden In A Violent Theory

Have you ever wondered why around 85 to 90% of us are right-handed? Researchers claim that it might be evolutionary, and the explanation is a little bloodier than you might expect. Here's why.

Why Are Most People Right-Handed?

We now understand why most people have a dominant right hand, as most schoolchildren had their choice of right-handed scissors while the few lefties always had to compete for the one pair of unique left-handed scissors.

For decades, researchers have struggled to explain why there is such a significant disparity in the number of righties and lefties, but a study released this month offers a novel idea.

The lack of any health issues that would explain why there are much fewer lefties than righties running around perplexed experts.

Researchers from Chester University in the UK and Lund University in Sweden have now put out a new proposal that could help explain why being left-handed is disadvantageous in terms of evolution.

The Left-Handed Population Is Limited Because Of A Violent Past

In a piece for the journal Symmetry, Matz Larsson, Astrid Schepman, and Paul Rodway argue that while lefties are stronger warriors, they are also more likely to be fatally wounded in battle. They hypothesise that the location of the heart and the way that early humans engaged in combat with sharp, pointed instruments account for why the left-handed population is so limited compared to individuals with a dominant right hand.

In essence, the heart occupies three-quarters of the left hemithorax, making the exposed left side of the chest susceptible to a deadly hit. The researchers discovered that the way the chest is exposed during combat differs depending on which hand is holding the weapon.

For instance, a right-handed grasp will rotate the heart away from an opponent, while a left-handed grip will turn the left side of the chest towards one. In addition to rotating the heart away, a right-handed hold also leaves the left hand free to defend the weak spot during fighting.

Therefore, right-handed early ancestors who preferred to use their right forelimb in battle may have had a lower risk of suffering a fatal wound and a fighting advantage, the researchers wrote. This would account for their higher frequency.

Even though this is still just a hypothesis and is based on speculation about behavioural and physiological facts, it raises interesting questions about why there are so many more lefties than righties in the world.

What do you think about this? Tell us in the comments.

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