The economic consequences of being left-handed: some sinister results

Denny, Kevin; O’Sullivan, Vincent

doi:10.1920/wp.ifs.2006.0607

Cited by 25 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 62 publications

(23 reference statements)

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“…I also note that the earnings gap that I observe in the UK sample is driven almost entirely by the BCS70 sample, with the NCDS58 showing no statistically significant gaps. This is consistent with the findings of Denny and O'Sullivan (2007), who also find no earnings gaps in that same data. Of the four adult samples used here (two each underlying the US and UK samples), the NCDS58 is the only one not to show such earnings gaps.…”

Section: Education Occupation and Earningssupporting

confidence: 92%

“…First, previous work on handedness has either focused on short-run outcomes ( Johnston, Nicholls, Shan, andShields 2009, 2010) or used single datasets to explore longrun outcomes (Ruebeck, Harrington, and Moffitt 2007;Denny and O'Sullivan 2007). I explore both short-and long-run outcomes in multiple datasets and show that prior mixed results on earnings appear less ambiguous than previously documented.…”

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confidence: 93%

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The Wages of Sinistrality: Handedness, Brain Structure, and Human Capital Accumulation

Goodman¹

2014

Journal of Economic Perspectives

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Roughly 12 percent of humans are left-handed, with somewhat higher rates among males than females (Vuoksimaa, Koskenvuoa, Rosea, and Kaprio 2009). For much of history, left-handedness was viewed with deep suspicion. During the Middle Ages, left-handed writers were thought to be possessed by the Devil, generating the modern sense of the word sinister from sinistra, the Latin word for left. The English word left itself comes from the Old English lyft, meaning idle, weak, or useless. The French word for left, gauche, also means clumsy or awkward. Similarly negative connotations of the word left are found in numerous languages, including German, Italian, Russian, and Mandarin (Coren 1992).Superstitions about left-handedness take numerous forms (Perelle and Ehrman 2005). In many Middle Eastern countries, food and drink should be taken with the right hand and bodily functions performed with the left. Hindu tradition forbids the left hand from performing many of the central religious rituals. Left-handedness suggested to Eskimos that the individual was a sorcerer and to colonial Americans that the individual might be a witch. The Jewish scholar Maimonides listed left-handedness among the 100 blemishes that disqualified someone from being a Jewish priest.Left-handers have often been compelled by their parents and schools to use their right hand for writing and other tasks. Such practices are now more common in developing countries so that, for example, 11 percent of Turks and 16 percent of Nigerians report attempts to switch their handedness earlier in life (Medland,

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Section: Education Occupation and Earningssupporting

confidence: 92%

mentioning

confidence: 93%

The Wages of Sinistrality: Handedness, Brain Structure, and Human Capital Accumulation

Goodman¹

2014

Journal of Economic Perspectives

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“…In economics, left-handedness has been associated with higher wages for men but lower wages for women (Denny and O'Sullivan, 2007), higher wages amongst college-educated men (Ruebeck et al, 2007), and worse average outcomes in a range of early childhood development indicators (Johnston et al, 2007). Given that brain differences associated with handedness differ between the sexes (and are stronger in men) and given the findings of the psychological literature, it comes as no surprise that economic studies also find gender differences in the effects of handedness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Handedness Predicts Social Preferences: Evidence Connecting the Lab to the Field

Buser

2010

SSRN Journal

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It is now generally accepted that some people are more altruistic, more trusting, or more reciprocal than others, but it is still unclear whether these differences are innate or a consequence of nurture. We analyse the correlation between handedness and social preferences in the lab and find that lefthanded men are significantly more generous when recipients have the possibility to reciprocate and exhibit stronger positive reciprocity themselves. Left-handed women are significantly less altruistic. We test the external validity of these findings by connecting them to large-scale survey data from the Netherlands and the US covering altruistic behaviour and reciprocity outside the lab. The results largely carry over. We argue that our findings demonstrate that social preferences are at least partially determined by nature and help to shed light on their neural origins.

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“…For instance, two-footed players may have more time to think instinctively or set up attacks from midfield partly because they have more space and time to do so due to being able to control a pass or ricochet more quickly and accurately than a one-footed player can. Extending this point, and drawing on Denny and O'Sullivan (2007), if physical dexterity with feet is correlated with mental intelligence, two-footed players may have better bargaining skills in salary negotiations.…”

Section: Positional Utilitymentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Denny and O'Sullivan (2007) suggest that there may be a correlation between left handedness and IQ, so left-handed people may be cleverer than otherwise similar right-handed people. Analogously, if being two footed is correlated with IQ two-footed players may be better able to read the game and anticipate situations.…”

Section: Positional Utilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Returns to Scarce Talent

Bryson

Frick

Simmons

2012

Journal of Sports Economics

105

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The authors investigate the salary returns to the ability to play association football (soccer) with both feet. The majority of footballers are predominantly right footed. Using two data sets, a cross section of footballers in the five main European leagues and a panel of players in the German Bundesliga, the authors find robust evidence of a substantial salary premium for two-footed ability, even after controlling for available player performance measures. The authors assess how this premium varies across the salary distribution and by player position.

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The economic consequences of being left-handed: some sinister results

Cited by 25 publications

References 62 publications

The Wages of Sinistrality: Handedness, Brain Structure, and Human Capital Accumulation

The Wages of Sinistrality: Handedness, Brain Structure, and Human Capital Accumulation

Handedness Predicts Social Preferences: Evidence Connecting the Lab to the Field

The Returns to Scarce Talent

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