Abstract
There is conflicting literature on the relationship between hand preference, height, and weight, with some research indicating increased height in non-right-handers, and others supporting both decreased height and decreased weight in this population. However, no previous research has objectively measured height and weight, examined a predominantly female population, or explicitly explored the contribution of handedness degree versus handedness direction in investigations. The present research objectively assessed height and weight in a sample of individuals with a range of hand preferences. Results: Left-handers were shorter than right-handers, but weighed the same. Left-handers therefore demonstrated a higher body mass index than right-handers. Conclusion: Results suggest handedness direction is related to objectively measure anthropomorphic characteristics in women. Because the current sample was predominantly female, future research could determine if the present findings reflect true gender differences in the relationship between height, weight, and handedness, or limitations of sample size.
Highlights
A relationship between hand preference and self-reported height was recently reported [1], such that increasing consistency of handedness (i.e.: consistency with which one hand is chosen across a variety of tasks; consistent- versus inconsistent-handedness) was associated with decreasing stature in men, but not in women
It is becoming increasingly clear that both handedness direction and degree contribute to between-subject variation in cognitive and physiological measures [11], and are likely to contribute to individual differences in handedness effects on weight as well
Handedness direction Three t-tests were conducted on the dependent measures of height, weight, and body mass index (BMI), comparing left-versus right-handers
Summary
A relationship between hand preference and self-reported height was recently reported [1], such that increasing consistency of handedness (i.e.: consistency with which one hand is chosen across a variety of tasks; consistent- versus inconsistent-handedness) was associated with decreasing stature in men, but not in women. Work suggests individual differences in handedness effects on weight, such that left-handers weigh less than right-handers [6,7,8,9] All of these prior studies examined archival records of sports figures, and used only one or two measures to categorize hand preference (e.g.: pitching hand) based on direction. It is becoming increasingly clear that both handedness direction and degree contribute to between-subject variation in cognitive and physiological measures [11], and are likely to contribute to individual differences in handedness effects on weight as well In support of this possibility, work by Tan [2] and Propper, Brunyé, Hrank, and McGraw [1] suggest that it is degree of handedness, not necessarily direction, that is related to height. Int J Sch Cog Psychol 2: 127. doi:10.4172/2469-9837.1000127
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