Humans prefer to walk anticlockwise, scientists find – but reason is unclear

12 hours ago

Research indicates people have a natural tendency to walk anticlockwise or turn left when ambling.
Experiments in Spain and Japan confirm the bias across cultures, unaffected by handedness or gender, though more pronounced in children.
The bias may arise from subtle personal asymmetries in brain and muscle coordination, though the exact mechanism remains unclear.
Understanding the left-turn bias could improve crowd simulations and the design of public spaces like museums and supermarkets.
In sports, anticlockwise running became standard in athletics due to right-leg dominance and perceived unnaturalness of clockwise running.
The bias is not unique to humans; studies show rock ants also exhibit a left-turn preference when exploring new nests.

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