The first weeks of November, 2016 were emotionally-charged. Chicago Cubs fans celebrated the first World Series victory for their team in 108 years while the Cleveland Indian fans suffered the bitter disappointment of defeat. The results of the USA presidential election provoked strong emotional reactions in the supporters of both the successfully-elected, Donald Trump, and the defeated, Hillary Clinton. The range of emotions surrounding recent events caused me to think about possible relationships between handedness type and personality type. Do right- and left-handers differ in personality characteristics that affect their experience of strong emotion?
There are two theories that predict possible personality differences between right- and left-handers. The first theory argues that left-handers are at odds with a right-sided world and are victims of unfavorable stereotypes. Left-handers develop certain personality traits, such as aggressiveness, to help cope with the stress of living in a hostile environment dominated by right-handers. The second theory claims that the right and the left hemisphere process different types of emotional responses. Left hemisphere activation is connected to approach emotions, such as seeking out social relationships, while right hemisphere activation is linked to social withdrawal and shyness. The left hemisphere is active during right-handed writing while the right hemisphere is the active control center for left-handed writing. The theory suggests that these activation differences are associated with distinct handedness-based personality types.
Psychologists define personality as characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving. Measuring individuals on the Big Five Personality Factors is a common method psychologists use to assess individual differences in personality profiles. The Big Five, shown in the illustration, are remembered by the acronym CANOE for Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Openness and Extroversion. These factors are measured with questionnaires where respondents either agree or disagree with specific behaviors. For example, a person might agree or disagree with statements such as I see myself as someone who is talkative or I see myself as someone who is outgoing, sociable. An individual receives a numerical score on each of the five factors; he or she can be a high scorer on some factors and a low scorer on others. Each factor is considered a continuum so a person’s score can also fall somewhere between the extreme scores on each of the Big Five. The pattern of scores across the Big Five provides a personality profile of characteristic behaviors.
Theories that relate handedness to personality differences predict that left-handers are low scorers on Extraversion and Agreeableness and possibly high scorers on Neuroticism. However, a study done in 2013 found no differences between left- and right-handers on any of the Big Five personality factors. As part of the study, participants were asked to describe left-handers. Overall, the descriptions were positive and included behaviors such as open to experience and introverted. This finding does not support the idea that left-handers are surrounded by a negative social environment that fosters the development of certain personality traits. Also, the results do not confirm that differences in hemispheric activation are connected to variation in personality traits among left- versus right-handers.