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The Puzzle of Left-Handedness

von
Smits, RikWaters, LizÜbersetzung
BuchGebunden
384 Seiten
Englisch
Reaktion Bookserschienen am15.10.2011
Left-handedness seems to be no big deal. Many of us are left-handed and those of us who aren't don't tend to give left-handedness much thought. Yet throughout history left-handers have been associated with clumsiness, untrustworthiness and insincerity. The Latin word for left, c;i e;sinister c;/i e;, is redolent of all kinds of ominous connotations. Rik Smits uncovers why history has been so unkind to our left-handed forebears. Through an array of historical anecdotes, strange superstitions and old wives' tales, Smits explains why left-handedness continues to be associated with maladies of all kinds, including mental retardation, alcoholism, asthma, hay fever, diabetes, insomnia, suicidal urges, criminality and shorter lifespans. But apart from folklore and myth, the notions of left and right have a real and deep influence on the way we experience the world. These influences show up everywhere, from engineering and architecture to music, painting, photography, film and comics.This book shows how, contrary to what many might think, left-handers can write just as well as the rest of us, and explores how and why we came to prefer one hand over the other and how left- and right-handedness are represented in the brain. The greatest puzzle is why in every country one in ten people favours the left hand. It is a mystery as yet largely unsolved, whose solution may very well lie in the secrets of twinning. c;i e;The Puzzle of Left-handedness c;/i e; is an enlightening and entertaining odyssey through the enigmas and paradoxes, theories and experiments surrounding the left-handed among us.mehr
Verfügbare Formate
BuchGebunden
EUR35,50
E-BookEPUBDRM AdobeE-Book
EUR18,99

Produkt

KlappentextLeft-handedness seems to be no big deal. Many of us are left-handed and those of us who aren't don't tend to give left-handedness much thought. Yet throughout history left-handers have been associated with clumsiness, untrustworthiness and insincerity. The Latin word for left, c;i e;sinister c;/i e;, is redolent of all kinds of ominous connotations. Rik Smits uncovers why history has been so unkind to our left-handed forebears. Through an array of historical anecdotes, strange superstitions and old wives' tales, Smits explains why left-handedness continues to be associated with maladies of all kinds, including mental retardation, alcoholism, asthma, hay fever, diabetes, insomnia, suicidal urges, criminality and shorter lifespans. But apart from folklore and myth, the notions of left and right have a real and deep influence on the way we experience the world. These influences show up everywhere, from engineering and architecture to music, painting, photography, film and comics.This book shows how, contrary to what many might think, left-handers can write just as well as the rest of us, and explores how and why we came to prefer one hand over the other and how left- and right-handedness are represented in the brain. The greatest puzzle is why in every country one in ten people favours the left hand. It is a mystery as yet largely unsolved, whose solution may very well lie in the secrets of twinning. c;i e;The Puzzle of Left-handedness c;/i e; is an enlightening and entertaining odyssey through the enigmas and paradoxes, theories and experiments surrounding the left-handed among us.
Details
ISBN/GTIN978-1-86189-873-9
ProduktartBuch
EinbandartGebunden
Erscheinungsjahr2011
Erscheinungsdatum15.10.2011
Seiten384 Seiten
SpracheEnglisch
MasseBreite 146 mm, Höhe 224 mm, Dicke 32 mm
Gewicht512 g
Artikel-Nr.10370207

Inhalt/Kritik

Inhaltsverzeichnis
1 Malice and Misunderstanding 7 2 The Left-handed Picador 12 3 Opposites and Contradictions 17 4 Taboos, Sex and Handicrafts 23 5 Lovers of the Left 29 6 Magic and Superstition 36 7 The True Nature of Left and Right 47 8 Strange Creatures in the Uncanny Valley 52 9 Witchcraft and Pogroms 60 10 Factionalism 71 11 The Ideal Warrior 77 12 The Polymorphism of One-sidedness 82 13 The Heart of the Matter 89 14 The Power of Small Differences 94 15 How Freud Found his Right Side and Pooh Didn't 98 16 Why a Running Rabbit Doesn't Tear Itself Apart 104 17 Tintin's Law 115 18 Dead Men and Voluptuous Women 125 19 Mary's Little Troublemaker and Other Portraits 135 20 Little Johnny Cries to the Left, Little Johnny Smiles to the Left 143 Contents 21 The Circle Dance of the Alphabet 148 22 The Weight of the Liver 158 23 The Morbid Views of Abram Blau 162 24 Thwacking and Hurling 166 25 Thinking About Brains 175 26 Animal Crackers 199 27 Other Asymmetries and Preferences 203 28 Tallying Up 210 29 Genetic Left-handedness 218 30 Hormonal Left-handedness 226 31 How Even Detrimental Characteristics Can Survive 234 32 Left-handers as Undercover Twins 243 33 The Consequences: Contrary, Perverse and Sick 250 34 Two Left Hands: The Ford Scale 255 35 The Things That Things Make Us Do 261 36 Writing and Other Useful Handiwork 267 37 The Myth of High Left-handed Mortality 277 38 Creative, Musical, Brilliant and Famous! 283 Bibliography 286 Photo Acknowledgements 297 Index 298mehr
Kritik
'There is a "whiff of negativity" around left-handedness, admits the science journalist and lefthander Rik Smits in this fascinating study of the phenomenon ... popular legends about left-handedness - and left v right in general - are scarcely less virulent, and Smits dispatches them entertainingly and ably ... thoroughly enjoyable.' - Sunday Times 'In this scholarly and entertaining book, Rik Smits takes us on an impressive odyssey through the paradoxes and theories of left-handed lore.' - Mail on Sunday 'It is a lively read, and Smits, a linguist and science writer, shows his wide range of knowledge throughout ... The book is well arranged, with mainly short, crisp chapters. I thoroughly recommend it as a good overview of issues related to hand preference ... Everyone will find something thought-provoking, witty or just interesting, regardless of personal hand preference.' - Times Higher Education 'in his highly entertaining and erudite book, left-handed linguist and science journalist Rik Smits dispenses with the positive myths alongside the negative ones.' - The Dubliner
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