Why Is Nearly Person Right-Handed—But Not Every Ape and Monkey? New Research Explores the Evolutionary Origins of Human Handedness
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New research has explored the evolutionary origins of human handedness, revealing that nearly 90 percent of people are right-handed. The study suggests that human right-handedness is linked to the development of larger brains and bipedalism. Researchers analyzed handedness across 41 primate species and found that brain size and arm-to-leg length were significant factors in the evolution of right-handedness.
- ▪Around 90 percent of people are right-handed, a dominance not seen in other primates.
- ▪The research indicates that human right-handedness may be related to larger brain size and bipedal locomotion.
- ▪Early hominins showed mild preferences for right-handedness, which strengthened in subsequent species before peaking in Homo sapiens.
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Why Is Nearly Person Right-Handed—But Not Every Ape and Monkey? New Research Explores the Evolutionary Origins of Human Handedness Brain size and bipedalism are the most likely drivers of our species’ right-hand dominance, according to new research Sarah Kuta | Daily Correspondent May 21, 2026 12:28 p.m. ShareCopy linkEmailSMSFacebookXRedditLinkedInBlueskyPrintAdd as preferred source Around 90 percent of people are right-handed. Pexels The vast majority of people alive today use their right hand for everything from writing and throwing to eating to brushing their teeth. But why? Humans are the only primate species with such overwhelming right-hand dominance, and scientists have long puzzled over the evolutionary origins of this trend.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Smithsonian Magazine.
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