Folded Hands Drawing Scan (2018).

Retrieved from
https://www.deviantart.com/didymus03/art/Folded-Hands-Drawing-Scan-337711238

Hand Clasping
By: Sidney Chapman, Hannah Judy, and Genre Baker
What is Hand Clasping?

● Hand positioning
● 3 phenotypes

[Photograph of two hands folding] (2018). Retrieved from

http://www.tdpri.com/threads/folding-your-hands-which-hand-on-top.827182/
Let’s try it!
What is Hand Clasping?

● Hand positioning
● 3 phenotypes
● Is it genetic?
● Normal population (Reiss, 1999)
● Minimal studies
○ Twins (Martin, 1975)
○ Families (Falk et al., 1971)
[Photograph of two hands folding] (2018). Retrieved from
http://www.tdpri.com/threads/folding-your-hands-which-hand-on-top.827182/
Research History

● 1908- Lutz ● 1926 - Downey

○ Sex-linked ○ Handedness
○ Selection of marriage ● 1958 - Freire-Maia
○ Handedness ○ Ethnic groups
● 1926 - Dahlberg ● 1961- Pons
○ Twins/families ○ Age
○ Sex/handedness
*all information taken from (Lai & Walsh,1965)
Influential Factors

● Culture and upbringing

● Ethnicity (Lai & Walsh, 1965)
● Hand anatomy (Reiss, 1999)
● Environmental (Martin, 1975)
● Age (Lai & Walsh, 1965)
● Neurological factors (Poliukhov, 1980)

[Photograph of folded hands on blue background] (2018). Retrieved from

https://media.istockphoto.com/photos/praying-hands-picture-
id657894892?
k=6&m=657894892&s=612x612&w=0&h=3l9kDcvPU63DmK1Yv0GWrcd
9KQOKwrM_tswCKHKyj8E=
Influential Factors

[Photograph of brain functions] (2018). Retrieved from Karsh, Yousuf. (2014). [Photograph of Albert Einstein]. Retrieved from
http://brainmadesimple.com https://www.utne.com/science-and-technology/albert-einstein-
humanitarian-ze0z1404zcalt
Inheritance of Hand Clasping

● Inconclusive
● Research suggests polygenic
inheritance (Falk et al., 1971)
● Children with L parents more
likely to prefer left hand (Reiss, 1999)
○ Not much proof

Worley, Kyle. (2018). Kids-Praying-Hands[Photograph]. Retrieved from

http://vv.church/thoughts/young-prayers/attachment/kids-praying-hands/
Complexities and Complications of
Hand Clasping

● Lack of research
● Polygenic inheritance (Falk et al., 1971)
● Culture and upbringing
● Human anatomy (Reiss,, 1999)
● Environmental (Martin, 1975)

[Photograph of praying hands] (2018). Retrieved

fromhttps://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-p-sherouse/a-prayer-for-
peace_b_3634137.html
Sample Group

● 100 Random Samples

○ Seton Hill Campus
○ Walmart in Greensburg
● 50 Males, 50 Females
Comparison of Males to Females

Figure 1. Preference of hand clasping in males and females of a

random sample.
Comparison to a “Normal” Population

Figure 2. Preference of hand clasping in the “normal” population and

in a random sample.
Chi-Square Analysis

Table 1. Chi-square analysis of hand clasping preference.

Hand Clasping O E O-E (O-E)2 (O-E)2/E
Preference

Left Over Right 59 55 4 16 0.291

Right Over Left 40 44 -4 16 0.365

No Preference 1 1 0 0 0

Totals 100 100 X2 = 0.655

DF= 2

The probability that any deviation is due to chance alone is between 70 and 80%.
References
Falk, C. T., Ayala, F. J. Genetic aspects of arm folding and hand clasping. Jpn. J. Hum. Genet. 15: 241-247, 1971. [PubMed: 5105531,
related citations]

Lai, L. Y. C., Walsh, R. J. (1965). The Patterns of Hand Clasping in Different Ethnic Groups. Human Biology. 37(3), 312-319.

Lutz, F.E. (1908). The inheritance of the manner of clasping the hands. American Naturalist 42.495: 195-196.

Martin, N. G. (1975). No evidence for a genetic basis of tongue rolling or hand clasping. The Journal of Heredity. 66, 179-180.

McDonald, J. H. (2011, December 8). Myths of Human Genetics. https://udel.edu/~mcdonald/mythhandclasp.html

Poliukhov, A. M. (1980). Hand clasping" and "arm folding". Population, hereditary, and neurophysiologic aspects. Genetika. 16(7),
1294-1300.

Reiss, M. (1999). The genetics of hand-clasping a review and a familial study. Annals of Human Biology, 26(1), 39–48.
https://doi.org/10.1080/030144699282967

Stark, L., Malone, M., Starr, H. (2006). The Basics and Beyond: An Introduction to Heredity.
http://health.utah.gov/genomics/familyhistory/documents/Family%20Reunion/reference%20guide.pdf