Full text of DOI:10.1177/135910530000500412

Journal of Health Psychology
Handedness and Age
of Death: New
Copyright © 2000 SAGE Publications
London, Thousand Oaks and New Delhi,
[
1359–1053(200010)5:4]
Vol 5(4) 561–565; 014048
Evidence on a Puzzling
Relationship
Ab st ra ct
Based on 5743 deaths in the
United States and Canada, the
present study was undertaken
to verify and extend results
suggesting that left handers
have a shorter life expectancy
than right handers. Unlike
previous studies, which have
merely dichotomized
L E E E L L I S & T I M E N G H
Minot State University, Minot, USA
L E E E L L I S is professor of sociology at Minot State
University. He has recently co-authored a textbook in
criminology (L. Ellis & A. Walsh, Criminology: A
Global Perspective. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2000), and
co-edited two books on sex, sexual orientation, and
behavior (L. Ellis & L. Ebertz, Sexual Orientation:
Towards Biological Understanding. Westport, CT:
Praeger, 1997; L. Ellis & L. Ebertz, Males, Females,
and Behavior: Toward Biological Understanding.
Westport, CT: Praeger, 1988.)
handedness, this study used a 5-
point scale to measure
handedness (extremely right
handed, generally right handed,
ambidextrous, generally left
handed and extremely left
handed). We found a significant
tendency for one of the five
handedness categories—those
classified as generally left
handers—to die at a
T I M E N G H graduated from Minot State University in
sociology in 2000, and is preparing to enter law school
at the University of North Dakota.
significantly younger age than
was true for the other four
handedness groups. Our
findings add to the controversy
over links between handedness
and age of death by suggesting
that only a portion of left
handers are at risk of premature
death.
A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T . We thank Dr Stan Coren for his comments.
C O M P E T I N G I N T E R E ST S: None declared.
A D D R E SS. Correspondence should be directed to:
Lee Ellis, Department of Sociology, Minot State University, North
Dakota, ND 58707, USA.
Ke ywo rd s
[
email: ellis@warp6.cs.misu.nodak.edu]
handedness, mortality
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JO U R NA L O F H E A LTH PSYCH O LO G Y 5(4)
F E W Y E A R S A G O , a research report stunned ending in 1997. The persons who provided the
A
the medical and scientific community with evi- data used in the present analysis consisted of
dence that the average age of death for left 2091 mothers, whose average age was 48.01
handers was nine years earlierer than for right years (SD = 3.21) at the time they provided the
handers (Coren & Halpern, 1991). Several other information. Of the 85.3 percent reporting their
studies have also found significant, although less ethnicity, 93.5 percent classified themselves as
extreme, tendencies for left handers to die at sig- being of European descent (white), with the
nificantly earlier ages than right handers (Coren remainder being Native American (1.6 percent),
&
Porac, 1979; Fleminger, Dalton, & Standage, Hispanic (1.5 percent), Asian/Pacific Islander
1
1
977; Halpern & Coren, 1991; Porac & Coren, (1.2 percent), African American (1.2 percent),
981, p. 40; Porac, Coren, & Duncan, 1980; and other (1.0 percent).
Rogersson, 1993; Smart, Jeffery, & Richards,
The mothers were recruited as part of a two-
1980). Nevertheless, some studies have found no stage study that began by asking students
significant differences between right and left attending 20 United States and two Canadian
handers in age of death, although the differences colleges and universities to complete a question-
that have been reported in these studies have naire, and then to give an anonymous com-
consistently favored right handers (Aggleton, panion questionnaire to their mothers. This
Bland, Kentridge, & Neave, 1994; Brackenridge, procedure yielded completed questionnaires
1
1
1
981; Ellis, Marshall, Windridge, Jones, & Ellis, from 55 percent of the mothers of the offspring
998; Kuhlemeier 1991; Rothman, 1991; Strang, who completed questionnaires. It was these
991).
If it were true that left handers die nine years used in the present study.
sooner than right handers, handedness would be The mothers were asked specific information
mothers’ questionnaires that provided the data
the strongest non-disease predictors of mortality about five people: their own parents; the father
yet identified, surpassing the four or five years of the child who completed the offspring ques-
normally separating social classes (reviewed by tionnaire; and the father’s parents. The items of
Ellis, 1994) and racial groups (Angel, 1993; information requested for these five persons
Fingerhut & Makuc, 1992; Kochanek, Maurer, were their handedness (based on a 5-point
&
Rosenberg 1994; Pappas, Queen, Hadden, & scale); their current age if they are still living,
Fisher, 1993), and even exceeding the seven and the age at which they died (if they were no
years separating males and females living in longer living). The exact structure of these ques-
most western societies (Carter & Lee, 1992, tions is shown in Table 1.
p. 395; United Nations, 1988; Waldron, 1983;
Wingard, 1982, 1984).
Even if the differences in average age of death
Re su lt s
associated with handedness were in the three- to The main results of this study are based on 5743
five-year range identified in most studies, the reported deaths among the grandparents and
relationship would remain an important and fathers of the offspring as reported by the off-
theoretically intriguing phenomenon. Why springs’ mothers. The average age of death for
would such a seemingly trivial trait as the hand these 5743 persons was 68.63 years.
humans use to perform most fine motor skills
have anything to do with how long they live?
We first grouped our sample of deaths into
two categories: right handers and all others.
The purpose of the present study was to verify Specifically, right handers (consisting of those
the existence of a relationship between handed- classified as extremely right and generally right)
ness and life expectancy, and refine it by measur- had an average age at death of 68.71 years,
ing handedness more precisely than has been whereas all non-right handers (consisting of
done in earlier studies.
those classified as ambidextrous, generally left,
and extremely left) had an average age at death
of 67.35 years. This difference of approximately
one-half of a year was not statistically significant
Me t h o d s
Data for this study were obtained as part of a (t = .38, p = .29).
larger investigation beginning in 1988 and However, a different picture emerges when
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E LLIS & E NG H : H A ND E D NE SS A ND MO RTA LITY
Table 1. The structure of the questions presented to the respondents of the present study
Please indicate the current age (or the age at death) of the following persons. Also indicate the handedness of
these persons using the following five codes (leave blank if you are unsure):
ER—extremely right-handed
GL—generally left-handed
GR—generally right-handed
EL—extremely left-handed
A—ambidextrous
The child’s grandparents on The father
The child’s grandparents on
the father’s side
your side
of the child
Grandmother Grandfather
Grandmother Grandfather
Handedness code
Current age if still living
Age of death if no longer
living
average age of death is analyzed in terms of the
Turning to the men of the parent generation,
five separate handedness categories specifically the shortest life expectancy occurred in the case
used in this study. As shown in Table 2, the of males who were extremely left handed, fol-
average age of death ranged from 65.01 for lowed by those who were generally left handed.
generally left handers to 69.66 for those classi- Again, however, due to small numbers of
fied as ambidextrous. These differences are sig- deceased individuals in this subsample, the
nificantly different (F = 3.172, p = .013). That differences failed to be statistically significant
4
such a significant difference would emerge (F = 1.780, p = .134).
4
between persons classified as ambidextrous and
those who are considered generally left handed
is surprising in part because these two groups
Discu ssio n
would usually be considered indistinguishable.
This study brings additional evidence to bear on
We performed separate analyses of the data the controversy surrounding the possible
by gender and generation, but these failed to relationship between handedness and life
yield any statistically significant findings, expectancy. While most studies have found sig-
although in each of these separate analyses one nificant tendencies for left handers to die earlier
can see a tendency toward earlier age of death than right handers, a few have not. The non-
for left handers (excluding those classified as confirming evidence led the authors of at least
ambidextrous). In the case of women, the two articles to argue that evidence for a prema-
average life expectancy for the ‘generally left ture age of death for left handers remains ques-
handed’ group was nearly five years lower than tionable (Ellis et al., 1998; Harris, 1993). Most
for the other four groups of women. However, controversial of all has been the study by Coren
due to a small sample size of women in the and Halpern (1991), which found left handers
generally left category, this difference fell short dying nine years earlier than right handers.
of statistical significance (F = 1.584, p = .176).
The present study is based on the largest
4
Among men in the grandparent generation, sample to be brought to bear on the handed-
the average age of death was about three years ness–life expectancy relationship. It is unique in
earlier for generally left handers than for men in measuring handedness not as simply a dichot-
the other handedness categories. However, it omous variable, but as one that varies on a 5-
too fell considerably short of statistical signifi- point scale ranging from extremely right to
cance (F = 1.384, p = .237).
extremely left. Only when these five categories
4
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Table 2. The average age of death for those deceased according to handedness
Handedness
Grandparent generation
—————————————————————————————– ——————————————— ———————————————–
Females Males Males
—————————————— ——————————————–– ———————————————
who Mean SD Number % who Mean SD Number % who Mean SD Number % who Mean SD
Parent generation
Total sample
—
—
%
Number
of
have
died
age of
death
of
have
age of
death
of
have
age of
death
of
have
age of
death
deaths died
deaths died
deaths died
deaths
Extremely right
Generally right
Ambidextrous
Generally left
Extremely left
Overall average
34.55
38.47
33.96
31.96
36.89
35.94
69.97
69.92
69.39
65.39
70.44
69.89
13.78
14.77
13.22
15.51
12.25
14.15
1193
804
36
31
45
72.80
73.89
64.41
71.55
71.43
72.93
69.02
68.96
70.08
65.98
67.24
68.91
12.75
12.97
12.87
13.52
14.31
12.89
1895
1296
76
83
75
8.80
50.00
53.03
62.33
49.67
46.00
51.33
12.39
12.48
9.07
3.88
8.37
106
88
3
6
6
43.99
46.72
39.38
34.68
37.84
44.47
68.74
68.67
69.66
65.01
67.37
68.63
13.02
13.31
11.74
11.05
11.82
12.98
3194
2188
115
120
126
10.40
4.41
4.51
5.66
8.89
2109
3425
12.26
209
5743

E LLIS & E NG H : H A ND E D NE SS A ND MO RTA LITY
were specified did we find a statistically signifi- Fleminger, J. J., Dalton, R., & Standage, K. F. (1977).
cant difference in life expectancy, with persons
who are generally left handed reportedly dying
nearly four years earlier than the four remaining
handedness groups combined. Surprisingly, the
longest living group were those classified as
ambidextrous, although they did not differ sig-
nificantly from either group of right handers.
Basically, the present study provides qualified
support for the findings that left handers have an
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