Studies attempting to link handedness types to specific behavioral disorders have been around since the mid-nineteenth century. It is not surprising that there are hundreds of published reports on this topic that have produced a myriad of often conflicting results. In recent years, researchers have tried to make sense of this vast literature by conducting both meta-analyses and literature reviews. These efforts survey a number of published studies and try to categorize the results into a coherent statement about whether or not handedness type is a factor in the occurrence of these syndromes. A recent literature review explored the association between handedness and anxiety disorders. Are left- or right-handers more likely to suffer from these conditions? ¹
Examples of specific phobias.
Anxiety disorders are present when anxiety is excessive or persists for longer than usual. In some cases, there is an overestimation of the danger inherent in certain situations or objects. Anxiety manifests itself in both psychological and physical symptoms as shown in the illustration above. The forms of anxiety disorders are: 1.) specific phobias where an individual has an intense fear and avoidance of a particular object (for example, fear of dogs) or a situation (for example, fear of the outdoors); 2.) panic disorder where an individual suffers from repeated and unexpected panic attacks and; 3.) generalized anxiety disorder where a person shows excessive anxiety and worry over several types of life situations (for example, work and school performance). The global population prevalence of anxiety disorders is estimated to be around 7%.
The authors surveyed 21 studies published between 1978 and 2019. The sample of papers included research involving clinical (individuals being treated for anxiety disorders) and nonclinical participants. Most of the research used standard questionnaire measures of both handedness and levels of anxiety. The authors found mixed support for an association between handedness type and anxiety disorders for both clinical and nonclinical samples. Nine studies showed evidence for increased anxiety among left- and/or mixed-handers while the remaining 12 studies showed no differences in anxiety levels between handedness groups.
Literature reviews such as this one highlight the problems in making sense of the vast literature on handedness and behavioral disorders. The authors emphasize that differences in the procedures used to measure handedness and the varying participant sample sizes across studies are potential barriers to forming any firm conclusions about the relationship between handedness type and anxiety disorders. The authors suggest that future research in this area use advanced statistical techniques with large sample sizes. Also, future researchers should investigate individual types of anxiety disorders and specific phobias rather than use combined data. The literature survey suggests that a relationship between handedness type and anxiety disorders may exist for certain specific phobias, such as fear of animals or fear of the natural environment, but not for other anxiety conditions.
¹ Ocklenburg, S., Borawski, J., Mundorf, A., Riedel, K., & Lischke, A. (2023). Handedness and anxiety: a review. Laterality: Asymmetries of Brain, Behaviour, and Cognition, 28, 336-356. https://doi.org/10.1080/135765X.2023.2250074
