.Updated February 2006
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Dr. Charlotte Faurie
CV PhD abstract Current research Publications Talks Invited seminars Funding
Marie Curie Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
You can download my Full CV (PDF)
We have tested two hypotheses, based on frequency-dependant selection mechanisms (advantage of the rare) to explain this phenomenon: 1) left-handers would have persisted because of a strategic advantage in fighting interactions; 2) left-handers would have a social status advantage (social status is one of the components of the selective value). A frequency-dependent advantage of left-handers has been shown in interactive sports, which are similar to ritualised fights. Comparing eight traditional societies, we have demonstrated that the incidence of left-handedness is positively correlated with the prevalent rate of homicides. Moreover, we have found a reproductive advantage of sport competitors in the French population. These results reinforce the hypothesis of an advantage in fights, and underline its importance for the evolution of the polymorphism of handedness.
Post-doctoral research project:
The data on Finns has been collected on a range of life-history (births, deaths, marriages, dispersal), ecological (weather, climate, harvest yield, famine, war) and social (class) variables for more than 2000 families from five different areas in Finland. The data is restricted to the pre-industrial era (1720-1900) when mortality was high and fertility natural.
Billiard S., Faurie C. & Raymond M. (The authors contributed equally) 2005. Maintenance of handedness polymorphism in humans: A frequency-dependent selection model. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 235, 85-93 (PDF). Faurie C., Alvergne A., Goldberg M., Hercberg S., Zins M. & Raymond M. 2006. Comparison of left- and right-handers for various estimators of the reproductive success in two large cohorts of French adults: SU.VI.MAX and GAZEL. Evolution and Human Behavior. Faurie C., Goldberg M., Hercberg S., Zins M. & Raymond M. 2006. Socio-economic status and handedness in two large cohorts of French adults: SU.VI.MAX and GAZEL. Manuscript. Faurie C., Pontier D. & Raymond M. 2004. Student athletes claim to have more sexual partners than other students. Evolution and Human Behavior, 25, 1-8 (PDF). Faurie C. & Raymond M. 2003. Handedness: neutral or adaptive? Behavioral and Brain Sciences 26, 220 (PDF). Faurie C. & Raymond M. 2004. Handedness frequency over more than 10,000 years. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, 271 (1536), S43-S45 (PDF). Faurie C. & Raymond M. 2005. Handedness, Homicide and Negative Frequency-Dependent Selection. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, 272, 25-28 (PDF). Faurie C. & Raymond M. 2006. The polymorphism of hand preference in humans: a review. Manuscript. Faurie C., Schiefenhövel W., Le Bomin S., Billiard S. & Raymond M. 2005. Variation in the frequency of left-handedness in traditional societies. Current Anthropology, 46 (1), 142-147 (PDF). Faurie C., Vianey-Liaud N. & Raymond M. 2006. Do left-handed children have advantages regarding school performance and leadership skills? Laterality, in press (PDF). Shultz S., Faurie C. & Noë R. 2003. Behavioural responses of Diana monkeys to male long-distance calls: changes in ranging, association patterns and activity. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 53, 238-245 (PDF).
Faurie C. & Lummaa V. 2006. Fitness differences between siblings: Effects of birth order. Evolution and Human Nature Meeting, London. Alvergne A., Faurie C., Raymond M. 2005. Paternity uncertainty and facial resemblance in humans. Meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, Austin, USA. Faurie C. & Raymond M. 2004. Evolution of the polymorphism of handedness and socio-economic status. Meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, Berlin, Germany. Alvergne A., Faurie C., Raymond M. 2004. Some physiological and psychological correlates of variations in parental investment. Meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, Berlin, Germany. Faurie C. & Raymond M. 2003. Evolution of the polymorphism of handedness. Meeting Human Biology, an Evolutionary Perspective, Montpellier. Faurie C. & Raymond M. 2003. Fights and the evolution of handedness: a cross-cultural study. Meeting of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology, Leeds, UK. Faurie C. & Raymond M. 2003. Fights and the evolution of handedness: a cross-cultural study. Meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, Lincoln, Nebraska. Faurie C. and Billiard S. 2005. Evolution of the polymorphism of handedness in human populations. Evolutionary Anthropology Research Group, Durham University. Faurie C. 2005. Evolution of the polymorphism of handedness in human populations. Eco-Anthropology and Ethnobiology research group, Musée de l'Homme, Paris. Faurie C. 2005. Evolution of the polymorphism of handedness: link to socio-economic status. Scientific meeting of the GAZEL cohort, Paris. Faurie C. 2003. Evolution of the polymorphism of handedness. Scientific meeting of the GAZEL cohort, Paris. Faurie C. 2003. Evolution of the polymorphism of handedness in humans. Biometry and Population Biology research group, Centre for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Montpellier. Faurie C. 2002. Hierarchical social systems and differentials of reproductive value. Genetics and Environment research group, Institute of Evolutionary Sciences, Montpellier.
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Behavioural asymmetries are observed in many animal species. In humans, for manual activities, individuals exhibit a preference for one hand. This polymorphism is present in all current human populations. Handedness is a heritable trait, and its determinism is partially genetic. Right-handers are more frequent than left-handers in all the populations so far investigated. Handedness is not a neutral trait. Left-handedness is associated to several selective disadvantages (reduced longevity, lower birth weight, increased risk of many health disorders). However, the polymorphism has been maintained at least since the upper Palaeolithic.
We have shown associations between socio-economic status and handedness in a population of children and in two large cohorts of adults in France. Finally, we have compared left- and right-handers for some estimators of the reproductive value, in the two French cohorts, in a population of hunters-gatherers in Gabon and in a rural population in Dominica. The results are discussed in the general context of the evolution of handedness in humans.
The aim of my current research is to investigate how evolutionary theory that applies to cooperative birds and mammals can explain the incidence of family living and cooperative breeding in pre-industrial humans. Such theory suggests that (1) families evolve when adverse ecological conditions render offspring dispersal costly and philopatry beneficial, and (2) cooperative breeding evolves when delayers can accrue fitness by helping. Hypotheses will be primarily tested using data from pre-industrial Finns, but will be supplemented with similar data from Canadians and contemporary Dominicans.
It is proposed that techniques of mixed and matrix statistical modelling are used to investigate two main questions: (1) what are the ecological factors that promote family living? and (2) does the presence of potential helpers influence lifetime reproductive success and overall fitness of breeders and the helpers themselves? We predict that delayed dispersal will be more common where and when ecological conditions render independent breeding costly and helping beneficial. Finally, we will model what costs of dispersal and benefits of helping are necessary to promote family living in humans.