What Hand Do You Hold Your Cell Phone With?
There's an interesting new Science Daily report about cell phones. So, here are couple of questions for you. Which hand do you hold your cell phone with? And which ear do you hold your cell phone up to? Most of the time, I hold my cell phone with my left hand and hold it up to my left ear. That may not seem particularly strange or out of the ordinary, but here's the thing. I am right-handed. I'm not using my dominant hand to hold my phone. A new by Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit says that's unusual.
According to the findings of the study, which are set to publish online in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, there's a "strong correlation between brain dominance and the ear used to listen to the phone." Now, what in the heck does that mean?
Well, basically, roughly 70% of participants in the study held their cell phones up to the ear on the same side as their dominant hand. Essentially, 70% of right-handed people held their cell phones to their right ears. That was true of left-handed participants too. They typically hold their cell phones to their left ears.
Here's the raw data from the research project. This is kind of cool and I'm fascinated by it because, according to the findings, I am some sort of freak of nature.
90% of respondents in the study were right handed. 9% of them were left handed. 1% were ambidextrous. So, check this out . . .
Among those who are right handed, 68% reported that they hold the phone to their right ear. Of the right-handed survey sample, 25% used the left ear (that's what I do most of the time . . . and I'm not sure why) and 7% used both right and left ears.
For those who are left handed, 72% use their left ear for cell phone conversations. 23% of the left-handed respondents used their right ear and 5% had no preference.
If you'd like to read more about the study (which, by the way, is laying groundwork for studies related to medical issues potentially caused by cell phone usage), CLICK HERE! There are some fascinating stats in the survey. For instance, the participants involved in the survey claimed they used their cell phones an average of 540 minutes per month. That's roughly nine hours a month. I honestly thought it would be way more than that.
So, which hand is your dominant hand? And which one are you holding your cell phone with?