Henry Ford Hospital researchers have found a strong correlation between brain dominance and the ear used to listen to a cell phone, with more than 70% of participants holding their cell phone up to the ear on the same side as their dominant hand.

The study began with the simple observation that most people use their right hand to hold a cell phone to their right ear. “This practice is illogical since it is challenging to listen on the phone with the right ear and take notes with the right hand”, says Michael Seidman, MD, director of the division of otologic and neurotologic surgery at Henry Ford.

Left brain dominate people, which are individuals with speech and language centers on the left side of the brain, are more likely to use their right hand for writing and other everyday tasks.

Likewise, the Henry Ford study shows most left brain dominant people also use the phone in their right ear, despite there being no perceived difference in their hearing in the left or right ear. And, right brain dominant people are more likely to use their left hand to hold the phone in their left ear.

Seidman notes that the study also may offer additional evidence that cell phone use and brain, and head and neck tumors may not be linked. If there was a strong connection, there would be a far more people diagnosed with cancer on the right side of their brain, head, and neck – the dominate side for cell phone use. But it’s likely that there is a time and “dose-dependence” to the development of tumors.

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