113. The Puzzle of Left-Handedness
For much of human history, being left-handed has had a certain taboo associated with it. The word for left in Italian, for example, is “sinistra”, which shares roots with the word “sinister”, meaning “evil” in English. Such terminology reflects a...
Preconceived · Zale Mednick
June 29, 202142m 8s
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Show Notes
For much of human history, being left-handed has had a certain taboo associated with it. The word for left in Italian, for example, is “sinistra”, which shares roots with the word “sinister”, meaning “evil” in English. Such terminology reflects a long-held view in many societies that left-hand dominance is inferior to right-hand dominance. When you dig beneath the surface on this topic, however, there is much more to dissect than you initially might consider. Why are people still left-handed, when the majority of the population has evolved to be right-hand dominant? Is handedness an isolated biological feature, or is it associated with a complex of other traits in such individuals? Are left-handed people, in some ways, fundamentally different than right-handed people? David Wolman, author of "A Left-Hand Turn Around the World" joins the podcast.
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