Why aren't we all ambidextrous?

CrowdScience

BBC

Science, Technology

4.8 • 985 Ratings

🗓️ 14 July 2023

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Why are some people left-handed? Why are some people right-footed? Why do some write with their right and throw a ball with their left? What does this all have to do with our brains? Why is it hard for some people to tell left from right? And what about animals? Can they be left-flippered, or finned, or southpawed? That's what a few CrowdScience listeners want to know, and we've got an expert panel on left, right and everything in between to help answer your questions.

From genetics to culture, host Caroline Steel works to unpack what's known and what's still unknown about handedness.

David Carey from Bangor University helps Caroline better understand her own mixed-handedness through a series of simple tests and shares some insights into what role handedness (and footedness) plays in the world of sports. Neuropsychologist Marietta Papadatou-Pastou from National and Kapodistrian University of Athens helps break down the numbers on left v. right-handedness and its cultural influences. To better understand the genetics and evolution of handedness, we hear from Sebastian Ocklenburg from Medical School Hamburg, who has investigated the phenomenon in other species.

Throughout the show, Caroline tries to understand why handedness exists in the first place and why our species is so biased to the right. She tries to answer listener Barb’s question as to why ambidexterity isn’t more ubiquitous, and it leads to some brainy tangents. We also hear questions from listeners Scotia and Roland, and travel to India with BBC reporter Chhavi Sachdev to hear how cultural norms are not in favour of lefties.

Presenter: Caroline Steel Producer: Sam Baker Editor: Richard Collings Production co-ordinator: Jonathan Harris Studio engineers: Tim Heffer, Steve Greenwood

Featuring:

Marietta Papadatou-Pastou, Neuropsychologist and Assistant Professor, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Sebastian Ocklenburg, Professor for Research Methods, Medical School Hamburg David Carey, Reader in Neuropsychology, Bangor University

(Image: Close up of group of hands raised. Credit: JGI/Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix, the Science of
0:07.0	Happiness Podcast.
0:08.0	For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want
0:14.4	to share that science with you.
0:16.1	And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley.
0:19.4	I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that
0:25.5	calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds.
0:36.7	It's the start of the working day and I've just got into the office and I've sat down at the desk that I'm going to work at today. I didn't sit here yesterday, someone else did,
0:40.9	so the mouse is on the right-hand side side so I'm going to move it over for
0:45.1	the left which involves a bit of fiddling of cables and now I'm about to start editing some audio. So I'm going to move my mouse over from the left to the right, because for some reason I like editing with my right hand but doing everything else that is mouse related with my left.
1:08.0	Just making myself a coffee and okay I'm not going to think about it.
1:12.0	Grabbing the jar I'm holding the jar with my left and twisting with my right.
1:18.0	Okay, so I'm using my phone to record this audio and I have my phone held in my left hand but if I move
1:26.9	my phone over to my right hand I feel equally comfortable. Okay, just writing my to-do list for the day and I am using my right hand.
1:40.0	You're listening to crowd science on the BBC World Service. I'm Caroline Steele
1:45.8	and that's the sound of me going about my day using my right hand for some things
1:50.3	but my left hand for others. Like me, do you use different hands for
1:55.2	different tasks or do you have an obviously dominant hand? To help me answer
2:00.9	crowd science listeners questions and to sort left from right I'm joined by three experts in handedness.
2:07.0	Let's start with Marietta. Hello.
2:09.0	Hello, my name is Marietta Papa D'Artu pastu.
2:12.0	I'm talking to you from Athens, Greece.
	...

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