title: Handedness and longevity: archival study of cricketers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test whether handedness is associated with a change in longevity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Archival survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  British Isles.
  
  
  METHODS
  All first class cricketers born before 1961 whose bowling hand was specified (right, n = 5041; left, n = 1132) in a comprehensive encyclopaedia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Bowling hand and life span.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regression analysis of the 5960 players born between 1840 and 1960 (3387 dead, 2573 alive) showed no significant relation between mortality and handedness (P = 0.3). Left handedness was, however, associated with an increased likelihood of death from unnatural causes (P = 0.03, log hazard 0.37, 95% confidence interval 0.04 to 0.70). This effect was especially related to deaths during warfare (P = 0.009, log hazard 0.53, 0.13 to 0.92).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Left handedness is not, in general, associated with an increase in mortality.
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Durham.
authors: J P
authors: JP
authors: Aggleton
authors: J M
authors: JM
authors: Bland
authors: R W
authors: RW
authors: Kentridge
authors: N J
authors: NJ
authors: Neave
mesh_terms: D002423:Cause of Death; D007839:Functional Laterality; D008136:Longevity; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013177:Sports; D006113:United Kingdom