Are Architects More Likely to Be Left-Handed Than Other People?

"A common stereotype about left-handers is that they choose certain jobs more often than right-handers. These include, for example, jobs that require a lot of creativity, like an artist or musician, but also jobs that require good visual-spatial skills, like an architect. The reason for this assumption is linked to the fact that left-handedness is a form of brain asymmetry, representing a functional left-right difference in the brain."

"In left-handers, the motor cortex in the right half of the brain is dominant for any sort of more complicated fine-motor skill, like writing with a pen. This is the case since the right half of the brain controls the left part of the body, including the left hand. Importantly, in most people, the right half of the brain is dominant for visuo-spatial skills, which are crucial for being a good architect,"

"This led people to assume that left-handers may be better architects starting in the 1970s. However, hand use and visuospatial abilities are controlled by different networks within the brain, making the link somewhat questionable from a neuroscientific perspective. Moreover, previous studies on architecture students and professional architects have yielded somewhat mixed results, with some studies finding an overrepresentation of left-handers, while others did not."

A common stereotype suggests left-handers select creative or visuospatial occupations, such as artists, musicians, or architects. Left-handedness reflects brain asymmetry: the motor cortex in the right hemisphere becomes dominant for complex fine-motor skills, while the right hemisphere is often dominant for visuospatial abilities. That anatomical overlap led to assumptions that left-handers might excel at architecture. Hand use and visuospatial processing are governed by different neural networks, however, which weakens the presumed link. Previous investigations of architecture students and professionals produced mixed results. Handedness was investigated in 515 acclaimed architects, and no overrepresentation of left-handedness was observed.

Read at Psychology Today