Smithsonian Magazine-the Weekender

"Researchers accidentally discover that humans prefer to turn counterclockwise."

Views expressed in this science and technology update are those of the reporters and correspondents.  Accessed on 21 June 2026, 1529 UTC.

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Russ Roberts (https://hawaiisciencemonitor.blogspot.com).

Sunday, June 21, 2026

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Researchers Accidentally Discover That Humans Prefer to Turn Counterclockwise. But They Still Have No Idea Why image

How teenage participants moved on a schoolground in Spain. (© 2026 Echeverría-Huarte et al. CC-BY-ND) 

 

Researchers Accidentally Discover That Humans Prefer to Turn Counterclockwise. But They Still Have No Idea Why

The effect transcends factors like culture, gender and handedness, causing the scientists, who were initially studying social distancing behavior, to scratch their heads

Margherita Bassi

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