A sinister plot? Facts, beliefs, and stereotypes about the left-handed personality

Is there a left-handed personality? Is there a left-handed stereotype? Although psychologists have enthusiastically compared left- and right-handers across myriad cognitive, behavioural, and neuropsychological domains, there has been very little empirical investigation of the relationship between handedness and personality. In Study 1 we assessed the Big 5 personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotionality, and openness to experience) in a sample of 662 young adults in New Zealand. Left- and right-handers did not differ on any factor. However, there was a curvilinear relationship between hand preference and extraversion; mixed-handers were more introverted than either left- or right-handers. This finding is consistent with other research indicating that degree may be of more psychological consequence than direction of handedness. In Study 2 we assessed beliefs and stereotypes about the left-handed personality. Both left- and right-handers shared the belief that left-handers are more introverted and open to experience than right-handers. This stereotype is not negative, and argues against the status of left-handers as a stigmatised group in modern Western culture.