ORIGINAL: ini
Bax is right, any mode you learn is best for you. Same applies for the grip, whether you fly with thumbs or have sticks between finger tips.
FWIW, in Northern Europe vast majority of fliers use Mode 2. In my 25 years of flying I have yet to see a Mode 1 TX.
I have understood that there are some Mode 1 fliers in Germany. In my early days in this hobby I thought that Mode 1 was popular in the States, but maybe that was wrong.
There is one good explanation to use Mode 2. For most people it is easier and to control one's writing hand accurately than the other one. As most of us are right hand writers Mode 2 is quite logical. In the beginning you really do not need to control both sticks all the time. When advancing in skills both hand operation becomes a must and advantage to use Mode 2 vanishes.
ini
You and Mac_Man_UK have exploded the myth that European fliers use Mode 1.
Historically in the US Proportional control sets were single stick in the beginning (Space Control and Quadraplex were the first commercial units). The reed sets were widely available at the time and were universally mode 1. The better fliers used the reed sets because the early analog proportional sets were unreliable and lacking in servo strength and precise centering. When the digital sets appeared, they were adapted by the most experienced fliers who demanded mode 1. The people that flew the early analog proportional sets were primarily experimenters and not exactly good fliers. Mode 2 developed from the later group when it proved to expensive to make a good single stick. The rudder control was simply moved from the top of the stick to a new left stick. Thus it evolved that the better fliers used mode 1. Mode 2 later moved to the forefront later because most people are right handed.
Mode 1 does have its advantages when doing rolling maneuvers. But even so if you do maneuvers that require rudder inputs you might be better off with mode 2.