Several cognitive systems in the human brain, such as language and face processing, are organized asymmetrically. One of the primary neuroscientific methods to assess such functional hemispheric asymmetries is electroencephalography (EEG). The two major forms of analyzing asymmetries in the EEG signal are event-related potentials (ERPs), such as the N1, and oscillations, such as the alpha band. However, the relationships between these two forms of EEG asymmetries are not well understood. Therefore, it was the aim of the present study to (1) replicate previous results on N1 and alpha band asymmetries and (2) assess whether they show a negative correlation with each other, as could be expected from the hypothesis that alpha represents an absence of cognition. To this end, we tested  = 100 left-, mixed-, and right-handed participants with EEG Resting-State, as well as task-based EEG with words, faces, emotional faces, and houses as stimuli. Replication of previous EEG asymmetry findings showed mixed results. Interestingly, we found strong positive associations between individual ERP and alpha band asymmetries. This finding highlights the need to reassess the functional role of alpha asymmetries and suggests that they do not only reflect the absence of cognition but also reflect active neuronal processing asymmetries.

Portraits of human faces, from Renaissance artworks to social media selfies, often show a so-called left cheek bias, with the left half of the face put forward more frequently. This is thought to convey emotional expressivity and warmth. A unique scientific resource to determine the temporal continuity of this phenomenon over the last centuries are the portraits of popes, as available on the official Vatican website. Data analysis of the 266 popes did not reveal a significant left cheek bias, with portraits displaying 51% leftward, 3% symmetrical, and 46% rightward bias. When dividing the portraits by every five centuries, the results showed a lack of relationship between posing bias and time period. Descriptive analysis revealed an equal distribution of right and left cheek bias in the earlier centuries, with the last five centuries presenting 60% of leftward bias. Impressively, the last 12 popes (i.e., from 1846 to 2025) had their portraits posed to the left, a phenomenon with a 0.00002% chance of occurring. We suggest that the shift in the roles played by the pope in church and society, mostly in the current and last two centuries, influenced the increased leftward bias observed in recent years.

Previous research has shown that same-sex sexual orientation is associated with differences in handedness. This study investigated this relationship by comparing Iranian cisgender gynephilic males (n = 239), cisgender ambiphilic males (n = 108), cisgender androphilic males (n = 314), transgender androphilic males (n = 103), cisgender androphilic females (n = 250), cisgender ambiphilic females (n = 96), cisgender gynephilic females (n = 32), and transgender gynephilic females (n = 123). Using a modified version of Edinburgh Handedness Inventory, we compared laterality index scores, rates of non-right-handedness, and extreme right-handedness between groups. Also, two features of handedness including its (i.e., the dominant hand) and (i.e., the degree of variability in preferring one hand over the other) were explored. We found that compared to gynephilic males, cisgender ambiphilic males had elevated non-right-handedness, and cisgender and transgender androphilic males had elevated extreme right-handedness. Our results indicated that right-handed cisgender androphilic males and females had greater strength compared to right-handed cisgender gynephilic males, while right-handed cisgender ambiphilic females and transgender gynephilic females had weaker strength compared to right-handed cisgender androphilic females. This study highlighted the importance of studying handedness direction and strength to understand underlying developmental factors influencing sexual orientation.

Early studies separate verbal working memory (VWM) in the left hemisphere from visuospatial working memory (SWM) in the right hemisphere, but later studies found inconsistent results. Functional transcranial Doppler sonography (fTCD) offers a cost-effective and portable alternative, measuring changes in cerebral blood flow velocity as an index of lateralized brain activity. This study aimed to investigate how material type influences hemispheric lateralization in WM. We used fTCD to measure blood flow velocity in the bilateral middle cerebral arteries of 39 healthy, right-handed volunteers (aged 17-28 years,  = 19.10; 6 male, 33 female) during two item-recognition WM tasks. In the VWM task, participants memorized four pseudowords and judged whether a probe word matched one of them. In the SWM task, participants memorized the locations of four black dots and judged whether a probe dot matched a prior location. Our findings revealed that the VWM task showed a significant left-hemisphere lateralization, whereas the SWM task exhibited a bilateral pattern at the group level, but with notable individual differences in laterality.

The primate order has received considerable interest in studies on lateralized behaviour due to their hemisphere specialization and potentially major implications for the evolution of the human cerebral cortex. The development of the prefrontal and association regions is required for complex behaviours, and there is evidence that some species show hemispheric specialization in the performance of executive functions. However, laterality in relation to working memory in New World monkeys has received little attention. The main aim of this study was to explore the use of the hands and the tail in spider monkeys () while performing two visual-spatial delayed match-to-sample (DMTS) tasks. Eight juvenile male spider monkeys raised in outdoor rain forest enclosures were studied. They were tested on two tasks over a period of 20 days. The first DMTS task had a 15-sec delay and used two different containers to hide a reward. The second had a 60-sec delay and used four different containers. Spider monkeys showed a robust and consistent left-hand preference during both acquisition and execution of DMTS tasks, occasionally accompanied by left-side tail use. The left-hand preference provide evidence for lateralized motor control and contribute to understanding hemispheric specialization to working memory in nonhuman primates.

The role of each hemisphere of the brain in the perception, production and expression of emotions remains a topic of controversy. Based on asymmetries found through neurological and behavioural studies on both human and non-human animals, several hypotheses and theories have been proposed regarding emotional processing. To contribute to this ongoing discussion and get insights on elephant emotional processing, the present study investigates whether the right hemisphere is more activated during negative emotions in Asian elephants (). Non-invasive behavioural observations using a video-camera were conducted for 70 h on captive individuals. Using all-occurrences sampling, the side of the body (left or right) to which five self-directed behaviours were oriented was performed on each individual. To investigate the relationship between behavioural laterality and emotional valence, post-conflict behavioural sides were compared to baseline ones in three victims of aggression. Results revealed that, after receiving an aggression, the odds of left side-oriented behaviours significantly increased by 1.82 times when compared to baseline levels. These findings suggest a greater involvement of the right hemisphere in negative emotional processing, aligning with previously proposed theories. Overall, this study may contribute to the understanding of emotional processing in elephants and comparative research on brain asymmetry.

The claim that left handers are over-proportionally common among architects has inspired both scientific theories and popular beliefs about left handedness. However, a review of the existing literature reveals inconsistent findings and a modest overall sample size even when accumulated across studies. The present observational study reinvestigates the notion by assessing the hand preference of acclaimed professional architects. Relevant architects were identified from the winner list of prestigious architecture awards (i.a., The Pritzker prize, The Royal Gold Medal) and by referring to influential architecture magazines. Utilizing pictures and videos available online, hand preference of 515 architects was determined. Of these, 41 cases (8%; confidence limit, : 5.8-10.5%) were left handed or ambidextrous, a percentage below rather than above the expected 10.6% for the general population (= 3.78,  = .052). To account for known historical trends in left handedness, we selectively considered architects born after 1950. Here, 10.1% (: 7.0-13.6%) were non-right handed, which was statistically comparable to the expected value (= 0.07,  = .78). In conclusion, the present results allow excluding a relevant over-representation of left and non-right handers among acclaimed architects, challenging the popular belief that left handers (as a group) have a special talent for visual arts and architecture.

Most research into human cognition has focused predominantly on right-handed individuals, ignoring the left-handed minority due to assumed differences in their brain lateralization. Although practical limitations make it challenging to recruit an equal number of left- and right-handed human participants, research into animal models may shed light on the assumed, but rarely tested, associations between motoric handedness, side preference and brain lateralisation. In the present study, we used the family dog, often studied as a model for complex human-analogue socio-cognitive skills. In Study 1, N = 19 dogs completed a range of behavioural tests assessing lateralisation followed by a sleep EEG recording. In Study 2, N = 14 dogs, specifically selected based on prior side bias history in other cognitive experiments, were behaviourally tested in two side-preference tasks and assessed in a sleep EEG measurement. Results show that both negative and positive correlations exist between certain behavioural lateralisation parameters and hemispheric asymmetry in sleep EEG spectrum. These partly support the use-dependent recovery function of sleep (negative correlations) as well as suggest fingerprint-like individual-level associations between sleep and waking behaviour. These findings are relevant for future research capitalizing on the dog as a model for human visuo-spatial attentional biases.

Readers must be able to make inferences to maintain coherence during reading. Prior research suggests that the cerebral hemispheres process inferences differently depending on level of textual constraint, however, it is not clear these hemispheric differences occur during reading. The current study investigates how levels of textual constraint influences the hemispheric processing of bridging inferences. Participants read texts promoting a strongly constrained (Experiment 1) or weakly-constrained (Experiment 2) bridging inference and then performed a lexical decision for targets presented to either the left or right hemisphere. Using event-related potential (ERP) analysis, N400 and P600 waveforms were examined during the target presentation. For strongly constrained inferences, a larger N400 effect was found in the right hemisphere than the left hemisphere. For weakly constrained inferences, there was a larger N400 effect overall, but no differences between the hemispheres. In addition, no hemispheric differences were observed for the P600 waveform between the strongly and weakly constrained inferences. Thus, hemispheric asymmetries seem to occur during the early stages of text processing when readers might generate both strongly and weakly-constrained inferences.

This study examined the negative frequency-dependent advantage with a specific focus on half-guard passing in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a grappling-based martial art that emphasizes ground techniques. We analyzed video footage of Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitions, focusing on half-guard situations, in which guarders (bottom players) entangle one of their opponent's legs while passers (top players) attempt to disentangle the guard to establish dominant control. Both guarders and passers exhibited lateral preferences: guarders were more likely to entangle their opponent's right leg, while passers predominantly passed to their left (i.e., the direction opposite to the entangled leg). Moreover, guard passes initiated to the right were more successful in terms of scoring the point (36.70%) compared to those initiated to the left (19.67%). As the attacks to the less common side (i.e., right) were associated with greater success in Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitions, these findings can be taken as evidence for the negative frequency-dependent advantage of lateralized behaviour in real-world combat scenarios.

One of the trends expected to shape laterality research this decade is closing the gap between human and non-human researchers. A solution to this problem is to view laterality research with a translational lens to leverage knowledge gained in one field to a seemingly disparate field or from one species to another species. The objective of this narrative review was to identify examples of translation in laterality studies that have been conducted in platyrrhine (New World) primates. Our larger goal was to increase rigour and reproducibility for cross-species methodologies in laterality research. As a first step, we surveyed 120 laterality studies conducted in platyrrhine monkeys to describe the research that has been done to date and its impact. In a second step, we conducted a narrative synthesis to identify elements of forward and reverse translation in the reviewed studies on platyrrhine laterality. We described three themes that emerged from our narrative synthesis, and we used these themes to guide our recommendations for future studies in laterality as well as broader health-related research with platyrrhine models.

Over a decade ago, we demonstrated that population-level asymmetries in limb preferences are not uniquely human but occur in various species of non-human animals (Ströckens, F., Güntürkün, O., & Ocklenburg, S. (2013). Limb preferences in non-human vertebrates. , (5), 536-575). While back then, vertebrate limb preference data were too scarce to reconstruct the evolutionary basis of human handedness or apply phylogenetic comparative methods, many voids were filled in the meantime. It is therefore high time to update the last analysis on limb preferences in all non-extinct vertebrate orders in the present article. We show that the robustness of empirical evidence for limb preference in non-human vertebrates increased in the last decade due to (1) more studies, (2) larger sample sizes, and (3) an increased number of meta-analyses integrating findings from various species (e.g., cats, dogs, rats, mice). Similar to the previous publication, we used cladographic comparisons to systematically assess limb preferences in non-extinct vertebrate orders. The identified studies analyzed 172 different species. Overall, 39.53% of species showed evidence for population-level asymmetries, 32.56% showed individual-level asymmetries, and 27.91% showed no asymmetry. These findings not only further support the notion that asymmetries are a widespread feature of vertebrate motor organization, but they also identify crucial gaps that should be filled by future investigations.

In several species, lateral position preferences have been observed in pair mates, mother-infant dyads, and during agonistic interactions. This research examined side preferences in human dyads in an observational study and survey. We observed 1236 male-female pairs walking in the UK and found a bias for males to walk on the right side of the pair, which did not depend on hand-holding, or walking during daylight or darkness. The survey measured side preferences in 798 participants (398 left-handed, 411 right-handed), from the UK (402) and USA (396). Participants chose a side to walk when walking with their partner, or alone, in various threatening/non-threatening scenes. Threat did not influence preference in walking couples, but males, when passing a threatening stranger, preferred the best combat side for their handedness. Country and handedness also influenced preferences. Left-handers preferred the left side and right-handers preferred the right side, and USA participants exhibited a more rightward preference than UK participants. The pattern of preference for each country was equivalent, showing independent influences of handedness and cultural learning. Overall, the results suggest that males and females prefer the side that allows their dominant hand to be on the outside of the dyad.

Familial sinistrality (left-handedness) has been suggested as a proxy for functional language lateralization in the healthy adult brain. Previous studies show that individuals with familial sinistrality tend to have less lateralized language-related brain activation, while individuals without familial sinistrality show greater left-hemispheric lateralization for language. However, familial sinistrality trait has always been treated as a binary categorical variable. In this study a more sensitive quantitative estimate of familial sinistrality (LH load) has been modelled in 39 participants with different direction and degree of handedness by applying a standard genetic multifactorial model. This LH load was tested for an association with functional language lateralization based on an fMRI sentence completion task. Using frequentist and Bayesian statistical frameworks, the association between LH load and language lateralization was not confirmed. The findings of the present research suggest that a quantitative measure of familial sinistrality is not related to individual language representation in the brain measured by a sentence completion fMRI paradigm. However, considering the context of our study and previous research we suggest that familial sinistrality being related to personal handedness could drive functional language lateralization through it.

Pedophilic disorder has been linked to neurodevelopmental differences in diagnosed individuals. One common biomarker for atypical neurodevelopment are elevated levels of atypical handedness as individuals with several neurodevelopmental disorders show increased levels of left-, mixed-, or non-right-hand preference. A few primary studies have indicated that atypical handedness could also be more prevalent in pedophilia and child sexual offenders. However, individual studies are prone to sampling biases. A comprehensive synthesis of the literature on this topic is still missing. In this pre-registered study, we performed a meta-analysis on  = 14 studies that were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar (until January 2025). These 14 studies measured hand preference in  = 1245 individuals with pedophilia and child sexual offenders and  = 5703 controls. We found evidence against higher rates of atypical handedness irrespective of handedness classification using random-effects frequentist and robust Bayesian meta-analyses. There was no evidence of heterogeneity nor small-study or publication bias across analyses. These results suggest that atypical handedness is not suited to serve as a biomarker for pedophilia.

Perching or standing on one foot is commonly reported in birds but the level of consistency in using one foot over the other has been less-well documented in most species, particularly birds of prey. For birds experiencing colder temperatures, unipedal perching has been attributed to limiting heat loss through unfeathered legs and feet; individuals should spend longer periods of time perched on one foot as temperatures decrease. Using radio tracking, I collected 486 hours of observations on nine overwintering, free-living merlins () in Saskatoon, Canada. Five merlins displayed clear preferences to perch on one foot, however the direction of preference was not consistent and four birds were ambidextrous. There was a curvilinear response in the proportion of time spent in unipedal posture versus temperature, with a peak of ∼22% of the time at moderate temperatures (-10 to -19°C), but lower values at warmer and colder temperatures; the main effect of the squared term for temperature was highly influential while individual foot preference had no impact on the use of unipedal perching. Although preferential use of one foot for perching was displayed by some individuals, thermoregulation may not be the primary driver of this behaviour at colder temperatures.

Facial emotion processing (FEP) tends to be right hemisphere lateralized. This right-hemispheric bias (RHB) for FEP varies within and between individuals. The aim of the present research was to examine evidence pertaining to the prominent theories of FEP hemispheric bias as measured by a half-emotional half-neutral (no emotion) chimeric faces task. FEP hemispheric bias was indexed using laterality quotients (LQs) calculated from a Chimeric Faces Task completed by 427 adults recruited from the general population aged 18-67 years. Participants indicated which of two identical (but mirrored) emotional-neutral chimeric faces were more emotive. While all investigated emotions (fear, anger, and happiness) were right lateralized, fear was significantly more right lateralized than anger and happiness. These results provide evidence for both the right hemisphere hypothesis and the motivational hypothesis of emotion perception.

Many lateral biases exist in human behavior, often implicit and not deliberated. Romantic kissing and embracing received experimental attention in the last three decades. We investigated laterality in paintings depicting these social interactions using two methodologies to assess whether painters depicted such biases and whether these biases could be due to observers' aesthetic preferences or painters' ability in portraying naturalistic interactions. In Study 1, we inspected about 190,000 artworks available online to classify leftward and rightward biases in romantic kisses and embraces. The comparison of 103 paintings depicting clearly lateralized interactions revealed a significant rightward bias in romantic kissing (66%) and a trend toward a leftward bias (62%) for embraces, aligning with naturalistic studies of human interactions. In Study 2, 128 participants expressed their aesthetic preference between the paintings selected in Study 1 and their vertically mirrored versions. A preference for the original paintings over their mirrored versions emerged, especially when presented in the upper portion of the screen, but no significant preference for the typical lateralization of kissing and embracing was found. These findings suggest that artists' alignment with naturalistic biases could be due to familiarity and exposure to asymmetric interactions rather than observers' aesthetic preferences.

The traditional classifications of motor skills nature (open vs closed; fine vs gross) have not been considered in handedness investigations. Instead, previous research focused on comparing complex vs less complex motor behaviour, leaving a gap in the literature. We compared manual preference between different motor skill characteristics, namely: fine and closed (FC), gross and closed (GC) and gross and open (GO) tasks. The hand preference was assessed with the Global Lateral Preference Inventory in four hundred and forty participants (244 women) aged from 18 to 59 years old. By assessing the degree and direction of handedness in different motor skills, our results showed a stronger lateralization pattern for FC motor skills as compared to GC and GO, with GO also being less lateralized than GC. Our results expand those of previous investigations that used the motor skill complexity definitions by showing how handedness can also be modulated by the interaction between classic motor skills classifications. Future research should consider fine vs. gross and open vs. closed classifications when selecting tasks for analysis of asymmetries of preference.

Age-related changes pose challenges in speech processing for older adults. However, little is known about the role of auditory perceptual ability in their performance in dichotic listening tasks. The present study investigated how older adults' auditory perceptual abilities affected their correct rates and the right ear advantage (REA) in the dichotic listening tasks in two experiments. In Experiment 1, older adults' performance was assessed using dichotic listening tasks based on consonant-vowel (CV) words varying in consonants, vowels, and lexical tones, each presenting distinct auditory perceptual demands. It was found that older adults exhibited decreased correct rates as auditory perceptual demands increased. Moreover, differences in the REA were observed in older listeners, suggesting increased engagement of the hemisphere responsible for acoustic analysis in processing challenging dichotic stimuli. Experiment 2 examined how older individuals' acoustic processing abilities contributed to their dichotic listening performance. It was shown that older adults with acoustic processing abilities comparable to those of younger individuals demonstrated correct rates and REAs similar to those of younger cohorts. These results revealed the nonnegligible role of acoustic processing in the dichotic listening paradigm and the significance of considering listeners' auditory perceptual abilities in investigating language lateralisation using the dichotic listening paradigm.

This study aimed to compare the dominant and non-dominant eyes of healthy individuals in terms of CT and CVI values to assess the effect of ocular dominance on choroidal morphology. Three hundred eyes of 150 individuals were included in this study. All patients underwent routine ophthalmological examinations and hole-in-the-card tests to determine the dominant eye. EDI-OCT was used to obtain choroidal images. Choroidal thickness (CT) was measured at three points on the choroid including the subfoveal region (subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT)), 1500 μm nasal (NCT) and temporal (TCT) to the fovea. Choroidal vascularity index (CVI), total choroidal area (TCA), luminal area (LA), and stromal area (SA) were measured at fovea-centered choroidal area by image binarization via Image J software. While 93(%62) participants were right-eyed, 57(%38) participants were left-eyed. We could not detect any difference in SFCT, NCT, TCT, TCA, LA, SA, and CVI measurements between the dominant and the non-dominant eyes. (> 0.05 for all). We could not detect any effect of ocular dominance on choroidal structures. These results also support the use of randomized ocular data regardless of which eye is dominant when investigating CVI and CT in scientific research.

When performing sporting tasks, individuals may use a single side for all tasks (consistently unilateral), both sides equally on each task (consistent bilateral), different sides for different tasks (mixed laterality) or opposing sides when performing tasks with hands versus feet (crossed laterality). Previous research has largely focused on analysing laterality within a single skill. This study used notational analysis to investigate laterality profiles across four skills (two with the hands: hand pass and hop; and two with the feet: kick pass and solo) within high-performance Gaelic Football players. Fifty females and 83 males completed sufficient trials on all four skills to be included. While the majority of players were unilateral, some players displayed a different laterality profile. No player was consistently bilateral for all four skills. Chi-squared tests of independence revealed minimal differences between males and females in levels of partial bilaterality, crossed laterality or mixed laterality. Left-sided male and female players were significantly less lateralized than their right-sided counterparts for all assessed skills. Overall, findings show that laterality is complex, idiosyncratic and non-binary. Recognizing the idiosyncratic nature of limb dominance has numerous applications for coaches involved in player development, opposition analysis and sport scientists involved in talent development.

This study compares results from three dichotic listening experiments involving different methods of attention control. In each experiment, participants completed a dichotic listening task requiring two responses to syllables and we noted the order of report for the responses. In Experiment 1, participants reported from a specific ear first in trial blocks. In Experiment 2, an arrow cue indicated the ear of first report. In Experiment 3, a tone was presented to the ear of first report. Free recall in which participants reported the two syllables in any order was also included as a baseline. Results indicated a tendency to report from the right ear first in free recall, producing more reports from that ear, reflecting a right ear advantage (REA). In all cueing conditions, an overall REA emerged but it shifted to a left ear advantage (LEA: more reports from the left ear) when the left ear was cued. Additionally, larger laterality scores ([Right - Left]/[Right + Left]) for the conditions where the right ear was cued, relative to where the left ear was cued, suggests that attention control is limited in overriding the structural auditory asymmetries. We discuss the implications of these results for models of dichotic listening.

Athletes in bodybuilding can pose favouring one side or the other of the body while being evaluated in the contests. While previous research assessed lateral bias of posing in a variety of situations, no investigation has been conducted in bodybuilding. We analyzed the lateral posing bias of the Top 15 athletes for the mandatory poses in Classic Physique Mr. Olympias (2016-2023). Results revealed a general bias to the right in all poses, as either moderately or strongly right-lateralized poses were most frequent. Furthermore, "Front Double Biceps" pose was the most symmetrical, while "Your Favorite Classic Pose" was the most asymmetrical one-apart from the always lateralized "Side Chest". Interestingly, lower-placed athletes (Top 15) posed significantly more often to the right in "Side Chest", as compared to the Top 5 and Top 10 competitors. These findings contrast the left bias shown in portraiture and photography literature, likely as a consequence of motor constraints and coordination for athletes to pose to the right, along with the level of emotional expressiveness a bodybuilder may wish to reveal on stage. Our data expand previous results of posing asymmetry to the sport of bodybuilding in this pioneering research into the lateral bias of posing.

An analysis of the handedness of the four members of the British rock band The Beatles is presented. Implications for the roles of the left and right hands in the playing of different musical instruments, for the roles of the left versus right hemispheres in song writing, and for the Beatle's legacy in popular culture are discussed.

While discrimination based on race, gender, and other factors is well-documented, the discrimination faced by left-handed individuals is often overlooked. To address this gap, a study developed the Perceived Handism Discrimination Scale (PHDS) to assess how left-handed people perceive discrimination related to their hand preference. The original questionnaire consisted of 20 items using a 7-point Likert scale and was evaluated by experts using Lawshe's methodology. After refinement, the scale was reduced to 12 items, and further analysis through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) with two separate samples (n=200 each) led to a final scale of 10 items clustered around two significant factors: cultural and individual dimensions of perceived handism discrimination. The PHDS demonstrated good psychometric properties, including reliability and statistical significance in factor analyses. However, the fit of the assumptions underlying EFA and CFA was not ideal, suggesting that further refinement is needed. Despite this, the PHDS represents a valuable tool for identifying perceived handism discrimination, ultimately aiming to inform policies that mitigate its effects in society.

The overrepresentation of left-handers among professional Western artists has been attributed to the lateralization of the human brain, suggesting that left-handed individuals are more creative and more likely to become artists. We aimed to test this notion among a non-industrialized population. We conducted a study in the Asmat region of Papua, renowned for their abundance of wood carving artists. The participants ( = 231), of which 42% were professional artists, took part in creativity and hand skill asymmetry testing. Our study revealed a lower proportion of right-handers in these populations. Although artists demonstrated higher levels of creativity and more dexterity in both hands, we found no evidence to support the notion that left-hand skill asymmetry is associated with creativity or becoming an artist. The results of our study challenge the notion that left-handed people are more likely to become artists and that they are more creative. It could be that this effect is specific to Western populations.

Personality traits are linked to a variety of cognitive and socio-emotional factors, including lateralization patterns. Autism, prosopagnosia, and atypical cradling have been associated with altered lateralization and socio-emotional processing. This study explores how autism traits, cradling-side preferences, and face recognition abilities relate to individual personality differences. Three-hundred neurotypical adults (150 males) completed an online survey including the imaged cradling preference and three validated questionnaires: the Autism spectrum Quotient (AQ), Prosopagnosia Index-20 (PI-20), and the Big Five Personality Questionnaire (BFQ). Results showed a strong left-cradling bias (LCB) unaffected by sex, handedness, parental status, autism traits, or face recognition abilities. AQ negatively predicted Extraversion, Agreeableness, Emotional Stability, and Openness. LCB correlated with higher Agreeableness and moderated the negative association between AQ and Extraversion. These findings suggest a potential link between cradling preferences, autism traits, and personality, possibly reflecting reduced right-hemisphere specialization in emotional processing and social behaviour.

This study explores the influence of respiratory phases on visuo-spatial attention during neuropsychological assessments with healthy adults. In Experiment 1, participants performed line bisection at peak inhalation vs. peak exhalation. Experiments 2 and 3 studied the landmark task, where participants determined which side of a pre-bisected line was shorter, again correlated with the respiratory phase. Experiment 1 revealed leftward bias during inhalation and rightward bias during exhalation. Experiments 2 and 3 confirmed these results in the landmark task. These findings suggest that respiration-related signals modulate the allocation of visuo-spatial attention.