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Article: Yanomamo handedness, homicide and alleged negative frequency-dependent selection.
- Article from:
- Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute
- Article date:
- December 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Royal Anthropological Institute. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Gauchers. -- Terribles a l'escrime. Plus adroits que ceux qui se
servent de la main droite. (1)
Gustave Flaubert, Dictionnaire
des Idees recues, 1853
In a recent issue of Proceedings of the Royal Society of Britain, B, Charlotte Faurie and Michel Raymond (2004) argue that left-handedness is strongly and positively correlated with the rate of homicides across traditional societies. This study, which attracted large media coverage, reached the general public throughout the world with buoyantly titled pieces such as: 'Left-handedness: a sinister advantage' (The Economist, 9 Dec. 2004); 'Violent societies select for southpaws' (Future Pundit, 10 Dec. 2004); ...