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# TWIL #146 - Keep your guard up
- URL: https://www.mattrutherford.co.uk/twil-146-keep-your-guard-up/
- Published: 2026-11-14T06:56:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-14T06:55:59.000Z
- Description: This week I learned there might be a violent reason most of us are right-handed.
- Author: Matt
- Tags: TWIL

Every week, I share something I learned in the previous seven days. I usually find these while I'm putting my weekly newsletter together but somehow, they don't quite fit!

This week I learned there might be a violent reason most of us are right-handed.

About nine in ten people favour their right hand. Other primates don't lean nearly that hard, and nobody is sure why we do. Walking upright, bigger brains and plain chance are all in the running.

My favourite theory is about fighting. Swing a weapon and that side of your body opens up, while the other arm guards. Your heart sits on the left. Fight right-handed and you keep it covered, which is a good way to live long enough to have children.

It's far from settled. BBC Science Focus has [the full answer](https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/right-handed-majority?ref=mattrutherford.co.uk).

**Which of your habits started as an answer to a problem you no longer have?**

[How ancient combat may explain why 90% of us are right-handed | BBC Science Focus MagazineWhy are most people right-handed? Explore the theories behind human handedness, from brain evolution and upright posture to survival advantages in combat.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c2/2e/c22ecd6b-9412-4701-b914-97051141e207/content/images/icon/web_kiosk_favicon_1-564b1876-605d-4625-8ac5-00090e38df4f.ico)BBC Science Focus MagazineHayley Bennett![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c2/2e/c22ecd6b-9412-4701-b914-97051141e207/content/images/thumbnail/482913fc-7ef4-4457-8849-a3d95d4ba782-1a7da489-abac-4965-b3d4-5be8a8a61329.jpg)](https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/right-handed-majority?ref=mattrutherford.co.uk)

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