HQ Team
June 11, 2026: Researchers in Spain and Japan have found that in 32 out of 33 experimental trials, people walking freely showed a strong and consistent preference for turning counterclockwise, a surprise discovery made by accident during COVID-19 social distancing studies.
What began as routine research into pandemic-era pedestrian behaviour has led scientists to an unexpected and intriguing discovery: the vast majority of people, regardless of culture, gender, or handedness, naturally veer counterclockwise when they walk. The finding, published in Nature Communications, is prompting new questions about the human brain, body asymmetry, and how we design the spaces we move through every day.
The research originated at the Department of Physics and Mathematics at the University of Navarra in Spain, where scientists were studying how people maintain social distancing in public spaces. Reviewing video footage from their experiments, they noticed something no one had been looking for: in trial after trial, people turned left. Of 33 experimental trials, 32 showed a clear counterclockwise bias.
“This was completely unexpected,” said Project Associate Professor Claudio Feliciani, then at the University of Tokyo’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. “At least instinctively, when people walk around randomly, you imagine people turn as their needs suit them with little sign of an overall preference. But there was a definite, measurable tendency for people to turn counterclockwise over clockwise, all things being equal.”
Culture, Gender, and Handedness Made No Difference
Determined to understand the phenomenon, the Spanish team collaborated with Feliciani and colleagues at the University of Tokyo to test multiple possible explanations. Parallel experiments were conducted in both Spain and Japan, with participants observed in open and constrained environments. The team systematically tested cultural background, group size, gender, handedness, and age.
None of these factors significantly altered the pattern — with one exception. “The only thing that stood out was that kids tend to have a stronger bias for the counterclockwise direction, so probably age plays a role in making the effect weaker or stronger,” said Feliciani. The fact that children showed the bias most strongly suggests it is not a learned behaviour, but something biologically rooted from early in life.
Dr. Iñaki Echeverría Huarte of the University of Navarra added that individuals appear to carry a slight personal tendency to turn to one side, which collectively results in a counterclockwise movement pattern when many people share a space.
The Brain Connection: What Earlier Research Suggested
This is not the first time scientists have noted a human directional preference. A 2023 study published in Behavioural Sciences by researchers at Kyungpook National University in South Korea used electroencephalography (EEG) and functional MRI to investigate why athletic running tracks worldwide are run counterclockwise. Their brain imaging data showed greater left frontal cortical activation during counterclockwise movement imagery, pointing to an asymmetry in how the brain’s motor systems are organised.
Earlier research using T-maze experiments in the United States and England found that walking direction preference correlated with learned driving patterns and genetic handedness. Right-hand dominant, able-bodied participants consistently showed a leftward (counterclockwise) turning preference, while participants with limb differences showed no such correlation — suggesting that biomechanical asymmetries in the body play a meaningful role.
No consensus, research still unresolved
Despite the strength of the finding, its underlying cause remains unresolved. The Spanish-Japanese team has ruled out several hypotheses. Eye dominance does not appear to be a factor: patching either the left or right eye did not alter the bias. Large-scale geophysical forces such as the Coriolis effect or Earth’s magnetic field also seem unlikely explanations given the experimental data gathered so far.
“It is likely biomechanical, but exactly why is hard to tell,” said Feliciani. He noted that the bias is unusual across the animal kingdom: most animals show no directional preference in locomotion, making humans a striking exception. Some ant species and certain birds do show lateral preferences, but these are rare.
The team is now planning more detailed experiments with individuals rather than groups, which may help pinpoint the biomechanical mechanism behind the bias.
Real-World Implications
The discovery carries practical significance well beyond academic curiosity. The researchers note that their findings could reshape approaches to crowd management and evacuation planning, as well as inform the design of public spaces such as museums, supermarkets, airports, and train stations — environments where pedestrian flow directly affects both efficiency and safety.
The counterclockwise bias also echoes established patterns in sport. All standard athletic running tracks are run counterclockwise, as are NASCAR circuits, velodrome tracks, and most horse-racing courses worldwide. Theme park designers have long noted that most visitors turn right upon entry, which is consistent with the research, since turning right on entering a space means circling it counterclockwise.
“There are some interesting parallels to certain sports,” Feliciani acknowledged. “Some running and driving competitions are always, but inexplicably, taken on courses that run counterclockwise. But that’s an investigation for another time.”
For now, the finding stands as a reminder that even the most ordinary of human behaviours — the simple act of changing direction while walking — may be quietly shaped by forces deep within our biology that science is only beginning to understand.
