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Monday, 25 August 2008

The Origins of Left-handedness

Source: anythingleft-handed.co.uk:

Stone age implements which have been discovered seem to be equally divided between left handed and right handed. Studies of cave drawings indicates a preference for the left hand.

When tools became more sophisticated, a clear hand preference emerged (practicality of making two versions of a tool). The right hand preference may have originated in sun worship. In the Northern hemisphere you have to face south to follow the sun and move from left to right until the suns sets in the west. This gave moving to the right and the right hand side a great significance.

Another theory says that as the heart is on the left hand side, a shield would be in his hand to defend it. Any weapon therefore had to be held in the right, which became the dominant hand.

Recent theories have included one that right is the normality and left-handedness, is a deficiency which result from a traumatic birth.

The brain is cross-wired the left hemisphere controls the right handed side of the body and vice-versa:

The left hemisphere (RIGHT HAND CONTROL) controls the following Speech, Language, Writing, Logic, Mathematics, Science, this is the LINEAR THINKING MODE.

The right hemisphere (LEFT HAND CONTROL) controls the following Music, Art, Creativity, Perception, Emotions, Genius, this is the HOLISTIC THINKING MODE.

Whether there is a genetic reason for handedness is a contentious subject. It certainly seems to be true that left-handedness runs in families, although not in any predictable way. Various researchers have looked at groups of families and tried to work out the probabilities of left and right-handed parent combinations having left-handed children, but they all come up with different figures.