Socio-economic status and handedness in two large cohorts of French adults

Authors: Faurie, Charlotte1; Bonenfant, Sébastien2; Goldberg, Marcel3; Hercberg, Serge4; Zins, Marie2; Raymond, Michel5

Source: British Journal of Psychology, Volume 99, Number 4, November 2008 , pp. 533-554(22)

Publisher: British Psychological Society

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Abstract:

Left-and right-handers have coexisted since the Palaeolithic age. Hand preference is heritable. Moreover, there is extensive evidence of an association between left-handedness and several fitness costs. In this context, the persistence of the polymorphism is interesting. Here, we explore the associations between socio-economic status and handedness, analysing data from two large cohorts of adult men and women. Such associations are relevant to an evolutionary approach, as the socio-economic and the reproductive value are related. Our results partly support the hypothesis that left-handers have a socio-economic status advantage, countervailing the health issues. Although the models explain a small proportion of the variance observed, the frequency of left-handedness is significantly higher: (1) among women of higher educational level; (2) among categories of higher income; and (3) among individuals who have a higher position in the company. The importance of these findings for the evolution of the polymorphism of handedness is discussed.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1348/000712608X291563

Affiliations: 1: Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK 2: INSERM Unit 687 - Cetaf IFR 69, Hôpital National de Saint-Maurice, Saint-Maurice cedex, France 3: INSERM Unit 687 - IFR 69, Hôpital National de Saint-Maurice, Saint-Maurice cedex, France 4: UMR U557 INSERM/INRA/CNAM, Centre de Recherche en Nutrition Humaine Ile-de-France, Paris, France 5: Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier, Université Montpellier II, Montpellier cedex 5, France

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