Jury still out on an old poser of motherhood
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HOLD THEIR BUBS ON THE LEFT SIDE SHOWS SOMETHING IS AT PLAY – BUT WHAT?
HAVE you ever noticed that you favour the left side when you’re carrying your baby?
You’re not alone. A recent study confirms that two out of three babies are cradled on the left. But why?
There’s been great speculation over the years about the way we carry our babies.
Some studies dating back to the 1960s suggest this has to do with physical touch on the left side of the body being matched with a response in the right side of the brain.
The right side of the brain is responsible for language and interpreting emotional signals.
It was therefore assumed that mothers carry their babies on the left out of some instinctive reaction to encourage bonding with her baby.
While that theory hasn’t actually been disproved, some other theories have since cropped up.
A new analysis of 40 different studies on the topic over the past 60 years has suggested this link may come down to gender and hand preference.
And while it may not be as interesting, logic could hold the key to some of these answers.
The analysis revealed between 66 and 72 per cent of all people hold an infant with their left arm. When it comes to hand preference, 74 per cent of right-handed people hold their baby in their left arm compared to just 61 per cent of left-handed people.
And the difference between genders was also quite distinct: 64 per cent of all men and 73 per cent of all women hold a baby with their left arm.
“There may, of course, be links between gender and handedness,” lead author Julian Packheiser told ScienceDaily.
After all, men are 23 per cent more likely to be lefthanded than women.
“Unfortunately, this link has not been considered in any study,” says the researcher.
THERE MAY, OF COURSE, BE LINKS BETWEEN GENDER AND HANDEDNESS. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS LINK HAS NOT BEEN CONSIDERED IN ANY STUDY. RESEARCHER JULIAN PACKHEISER