Researchers Uncover Global Walking Patterns Among Humans

WHO:

ScienceAlert - An international team of researchers conducted the study, including engineer Claudio Feliciani from the University of Tokyo.

WHAT:

ScienceAlert - The researchers discovered a significant preference for turning counterclockwise (left) among individuals when walking.

Yahoo - The study involved 209 participants who walked alone in a hexagonal enclosure made with chairs and tables.

ScienceAlert - The study found a modest but statistically significant counterclockwise bias in movement across various tests.

WHERE:

ScienceAlert - Experiments were conducted in Spain and Japan, which have different social and cultural norms.

WHEN:

Yahoo - The research findings were published in Nature Communications in 2026.

WHY:

ScienceAlert - The study aimed to understand human movement patterns, particularly the unexpected bias towards counterclockwise turns.

Yahoo - The researchers ruled out several potential influences on behavior, suggesting that the observed bias appears to be biological.

HOW:

ScienceAlert - The researchers tested individual movement in controlled environments to eliminate the influence of crowds.

Yahoo - The study included various age groups, cultural settings, and spaces to assess the consistency of the counterclockwise bias.

(UPDATED June 12, 2026 21:36 UTC)

An international team of researchers, including engineer Claudio Feliciani from the University of Tokyo, has published findings in Nature Communications revealing a significant preference for turning counterclockwise among individuals when walking. The study, which involved 209 participants moving alone in a hexagonal enclosure made of chairs and tables, found a modest but statistically significant bias towards counterclockwise movement across various tests conducted in Spain and Japan. The researchers aimed to understand human movement patterns and ruled out several potential influences, suggesting that this counterclockwise bias may be rooted in biological factors.