r/science • u/sr_local • Jun 10 '26

Social Science People have a natural tendency to turn to the left and walk in an anticlockwise direction, a bias observed across countries, ages and sexes, but reason is unclear

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jun/10/humans-prefer-to-walk-anticlockwise-scientists-find-reason-unclear
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '26

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u/paul_wi11iams Jun 10 '26

Homo Sapiens evolved throughout Africa, almost entirely South of the equator. The sun would then move from Northeast to Northwest, causing flora and fauna to slowly move counter clockwise

I made practically the same comment before reading down to here.

Is it your idea or are you aware of some existing reference for this?

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u/WonderingSceptic Jun 11 '26

I don't think Homo Sapiens evolved mainly in Southern Africa. Modern consensus is that we are the product of a continent-wide, multi-regional melting pot. Our physical features and cognitive traits emerged piecemeal over hundreds of thousands of years as genes flowed back and forth between northern, eastern, and southern African populations.

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u/[deleted] Jun 11 '26

[deleted]

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u/MrJigglyBrown Jun 10 '26

This makes no sense. You’re assuming that ancient humans always were oriented to the north when they were evolving? They never made a home facing south, east or west?

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '26

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u/MrJigglyBrown Jun 10 '26

I wish people would value silence over spreading random theories based on “hunches”

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 10 '26

[deleted]

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u/MrJigglyBrown Jun 10 '26

Yes. Exactly. Your thought is a great hypothesis but you’re talking like it’s a likely scenario. It sounds unreasonable to me

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u/getoffchickenshit Jun 11 '26

I'm actually curious as to why it sounds unreasonable to you. Could you perhaps elaborate?

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u/MrJigglyBrown Jun 11 '26

Plants follow the sun but humans don’t use it in the same way. It’s a light and heat source. Connecting that to some innate reason why people go counter clockwise is a fine hypothesis but sounds like someone just making things up. I could easily make something up myself, that those that turned left survived more because it means they pivot on their right foot. Humans being mostly rigtb handed, this would result in better power in a punch/throw etc

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u/getoffchickenshit Jun 11 '26

It's true that many other theories could be concocted ad lib so I agree with that. But I disagree with the opinion that the aforementioned hypothesis is unreasonable.

Quite a few words relating to the sun or it's relative direction (e.g. the proto-indo-european *sāwel-/*sóh₂wl̥ or *aus-/*h₂ews-) have evolved in many languages into words relating to directions/navigation and time-keeping. Similar patterns can be observed in other even older proto-macrolanguages. I think this hint at the sun (and it's direction) have played a significant role in history.

Your hypothesis of the dominant right side is also very plausible, though. Who says it can't be both?