Hand preference and intolerance of uncertainty: Atypical cerebral lateralization advantages lower intolerance of uncertainty

ABSTRACT

Left and inconsistent hand preferences are the markers of atypical brain organization that relate with cognitive and behavioural traits as well as with developmental disorders, whereas intolerance of uncertainty is the trait of inability to bear future uncertainty that mediates anxiety disorders and depression. In the present study, relationship of hand preference with intolerance of uncertainty was studied in a sample of 862 college students (age: M = 21.4 years, SD = 3.12). Results show that left-handers had lower prospective intolerance of uncertainty than right-handers. Furthermore, inconsistent right-handers had lower inhibitive intolerance of uncertainty than consistent right-handers. Thus, the present study supports the likelihood that atypical brain organization advantages tolerance of uncertainty (i.e., lower intolerance of uncertainty). Implications of these findings for understanding the contribution of intolerance of uncertainty to anxiety have been discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Anxiety
• uncertainty
• laterality
• prefrontal cortex
• sex hormone

Acknowledgements

We thank all participants and their teachers. Thanks are due to Shri Vipin Kumar Jain for proof reading help. Also, we thank Dr. Eric Prichard and an anonymous reviewer for their valuable comments and insights. This study was not supported by any financial grant from any agency.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Sanjay Kumar http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7793-4851