Handiness and mental illnesses: New exciting findings!

Handiness and mental illnesses: New exciting findings!

A newly published second-order meta-analysis has provided important insights into the connection between handedness and mental and neurological diseases. The international research team, consisting of experts in this field, has found that left-handed or mixed-handed people often suffer from certain mental illnesses. This was published in the renowned trade journal Psychological Bulletin published on May 2, 2025.

The team consisted of Prof. Dr. Sebastian Ocklenburg and Jette Borawski from ICAN as well as Sarah Alina Merklein, a student at MSH. Their research shows that changes in handedness are particularly common in patients with early-onset disorders who exhibit language symptoms. These disorders include dyslexia, schizophrenia and autism. Such findings contribute to developing a better understanding of the influence of handedness on mental health.

Interesting connections to neurological diseases

The results of the meta-analysis expand the already known connection between neurological diseases and handedness. Loud news.rub.de Aberrant handedness, particularly left-handed or mixed-handed forms, often occurs in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. These observations could be due to brain development processes occurring early in childhood that influence handedness and associated symptoms.

The analysis therefore not only deals with the psychological dimension, but also illuminates neurological perspectives. The complexity of the connections is also pointed out, as various studies in the past have sometimes provided different results. However, the current research reveals a clear pattern that supports the need for further research in this area. The association of handedness and close correlations with specific diseases makes this topic increasingly relevant for clinical applications.