4 ms·
This is a good point and there may be something in it. There's a semi-related, interesting phenomenon in fencing, which results in a a disproportionately large
by robert_tweed 12y ago
This is a good point and there may be something in it.
There's a semi-related, interesting phenomenon in fencing, which results in a a disproportionately large percentage of fencers being left-handed.
This is because at a beginner/intermediate level, left-handed fencers have an advantage over right-handed ones (think about how swords would meet slightly differently if the fencers are each same-handed or opposite-handed). It turns out that this creates an advantage because right-handedness (and hence, same-handedness in pairings) is still >> 50%, so left-handers get very used to fencing opposite-handed, while it tends to throws off right-handers who aren't as used to it.
The advantage goes away at a high level, but it create a bias towards more left-handers taking up and sticking at fencing, because they make more progress when starting out. They feel like they are better at fencing than other sports they might have tried, where they don't have a strategic advantage by default.
Anyway, one of the obviously related subtle effects is what happens when you reach out to shake someone's hand. If you reach out to someone opposite-handed, the result can be brief but tangible awkwardness. Little cues like that can add up to create a subconscious picture of something not being quite right, or perhaps even "sinister".
Again, like with the fencing example, the left-hander is used to this because it happens to them 90% of the time. For the right-hander, it feels like something is off because it only happens 10% of the time, so they aren't expecting it.