Left-handed people (some 12pc of the population) have 10pc to 12pc lower annual earnings than righties, on average, in part because they score 0.1 of a standard deviation lower on measures of cognitive skill and have more emotional and behavioral problems, writes Joshua Goodman of Harvard Kennedy School, who studied five large data sets of people in the US and UK. Past research suggests that handedness has both genetic and environmental origins: Stressors during pregnancy or birth may contribute to the differential brain structures typical of left-handed individuals.

(Source: Journal of Economic Perspectives)

Published in Dawn, Economic & Business, January 26th , 2015

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