Why are most people right-handed?

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**SPEAKER_3** (1:04)
Why are most people right-handed?
Thanks for asking.
Around the age of four, children develop a preference for using one of their hands to complete certain tasks, like drawing, for example. The same goes for foot preference, when it comes to which foot they use to start going up a flight of stairs, or to kick a ball. A similar preference even emerges for using one of our eyes and one of our ears. Generally, when a child reaches the age of five, their preference for using one side of the body to carry out tasks is well ingrained. This developmental process is known as right-left asymmetry. According to the US National Library of Medicine, 85 to 90% of adults are right-handed. What dictates whether we prefer using our left or right hand? First of all, it's important to note that the brain's left hemisphere controls the motor functions of the right hand side of the body, while the right hemisphere controls the left hand side. In most people, the left hemisphere controls hand movements, which is part of the reason why most people are right-handed. Indeed, the left half of the brain also controls language. Scientific research has shown that ambidextrous children are more likely to struggle with language development in comparison to those who have a clear preference for either their right or left hand. Handedness is complex and influenced by multiple factors, including differences between the brain's two hemispheres, genetics and environment. Isn't being left-handed hereditary? There are a number of theories relating to that hypothesis, but it's clear that genetics does have a role to play. According to the conversation, when both the child's parents are right-handed, the chances of that child being left-handed are just 9%. When one of the parents is left-handed, that can rise to 20%, and when both are left-handed, it's a relatively huge 27%.
Aside from genetic predisposition, the baby's head position as a fetus also comes into play, as well as social and cultural factors during childhood. For a long time, being left-handed was wrongly considered a health deficiency. Why do people say that left-handed people are more creative? Some studies have suggested that left-handed people have a more diverse neural network, allowing them to make unique and unconventional connections between ideas. Indeed, brain scans indicate that left-handed people do think differently from right-handed people. They tend to activate the right half of their brain more for certain tasks and functions. This difference in brain function could make creativity come more easily.
There you have it. Now you know why most people are right-handed. In under three minutes, we answer your questions and help you understand the true meaning behind the trends, concepts and acronyms that are making headlines. Listen along and you will really know for sure.