A recent study suggests a correlation between identifying as left-handed and holding left-leaning political views. Researchers found that individuals who described themselves as left-handed rated their political stance almost half a point more to the left on a 10-point scale compared to their right-handed counterparts.
This observed difference in political leaning was found to be more significant than the gender divide in politics, where women were only 0.4 points more left-wing than men. However, this connection between self-identified handedness and political views diminished when researchers measured the actual hand used for various tasks. This finding led the study's authors to hypothesize that the link is more psychological or social than biological.
Professor Jérémie Bertrand, the lead author from the IÉSEG School of Management, stated that the biological prediction would suggest the opposite of what the initial findings indicated. He elaborated that the identity associated with the term 'left-handed' appears to be more influential than the physical act of using the left hand.
Factors Influencing Political Views
Traditionally, political leanings are attributed to factors such as income, age, occupation, and education. However, Bertrand and his colleagues sought to explore whether less conventional factors could also play a role.
Their research involved surveying 1,404 individuals across 18 Western countries, including the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The initial survey asked participants to place themselves on a political spectrum and to identify as either left- or right-handed.
Exploring Potential Causes
Researchers initially considered a biological explanation, positing that subtle differences in brain wiring might link left-handedness to left-wing political beliefs. Some studies have associated the less evenly distributed brain functions in left-handed individuals with greater cognitive flexibility and openness to new ideas, traits often linked to left-wing ideologies.
However, a subsequent phase of the study involved observing participants' actual hand use for tasks like writing, using scissors, brushing teeth, and throwing a ball. When handedness was assessed through direct observation, the link between dominant left-hand use and left-wing political leanings disappeared. This suggests that the observed correlation is not rooted in neurology.
Psychological and Social Theories
One prevailing theory among the researchers is that individuals who identify as left-handed may feel a stronger affinity for the political left due to their experience as part of a minority group. Left-handed people constitute approximately 10 percent of the population and have historically faced social stigma. The study noted that historical practices, such as forcing left-handed children to write with their right hand, did not show a stronger left-leaning effect in older individuals subjected to such methods.
Another theory points to the linguistic association between the words 'left' (as in left-handed) and 'left' (as in left-wing politics). This linguistic connection might exert a psychological influence through a phenomenon known as implicit egotism, where individuals are subconsciously drawn to things that share similarities with themselves. The researchers found that this linguistic effect was more pronounced in countries like France, Spain, Italy, and Portugal, where political discourse is explicitly structured along a left-right axis, compared to the United Kingdom, where political divides are often framed by party names.
The study's authors emphasize that their findings do not imply that all left-handed individuals vote left or that changing one's dominant hand would alter political identity. Instead, they suggest that political views may be influenced by factors beyond conscious reasoning, potentially including subconscious associations and personal identity.