Research Reveals New Facts About Left-Handedness and Brain Ability

Kapanlagi.com - Research on left-handed individuals continues to attract the attention of scientists due to its potential connection to cognitive abilities. A new study published in Scientific Reports reveals that it is not just hand dominance that affects cognitive abilities, but rather a more complex distribution of brain asymmetry.

This finding emerged from research led by Georgina Donati from the University of Oxford, involving visitors to The Science Museum in London. The study provides new insights into how the relationship between hand use and emotion recognition can impact social and cognitive abilities.

1. Research Methods at The Science Museum

Research conducted at The Science Museum (credit: pexels/RDNE Stock project)

This research began with testing the hand usage of participants using the pegboard method. In this method, museum visitors move small pegs into holes on the board as quickly as possible using each hand. The results of measuring hand speed help determine whether someone is left-handed or not. Scientists also conducted a chimeric face test, where participants were asked to assess the emotions displayed on a particular side of the face.

2. Introduction to Emotions and Left-Right Bias

The use of the dominant hand apparently affects bias in thinking (credit: pexels/Cup of Couple)

The test results showed that most participants found faces with an emotional left half to be more expressive than the right half. This bias related to emotion recognition has been recorded in various previous studies. “This indicates a deeper brain asymmetry beyond just hand usage,” said Donati.

3. The Relationship Between Dominant Hand and Task Success

The dominant hand influences task success (credit: pexels/ThisIsEngineering)

Researchers found that participants with a right hand were the most successful in the pegboard task, regardless of whether they were left-handed or not. This success was linked to better language fluency, indicating a cascading effect between right-hand use, task success, and cognitive ability.

4. Asymmetry Profiles and Their Impact on Social Difficulties

Impacting social difficulties (credit: pexels/RDNE Stock project)

Further analysis showed that 53 percent of participants had a standard profile, while 12 percent exhibited a reversed profile associated with social difficulties and higher levels of autism and ADHD. “Reversed lateralization profiles may affect social reactions and time management abilities,” the researchers explained.

5. Does being left-handed affect a person's intelligence?

Studies show that it is not hand dominance that affects intelligence, but rather the overall asymmetry of the brain.

6. Why is brain asymmetry important in left-handed research?

Brain asymmetry is important because the distribution of brain functions can affect cognitive abilities and emotion recognition, not just hand usage.

7. What is the relationship between being left-handed and social difficulties?

Inverted lateralization profiles in left-handed individuals are associated with social difficulties and higher levels of autism and ADHD.

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