Finally there’s a study that really comes in handy
Size does matter ... when it comes to your digit ratio, McGill study says
Are you a guy who is generally “agreeable with women?” The answer to that question may have its roots in things that happened to you before birth. Your fetal experience also left some telltale markers on your body — if you know how to read them.
Have a look at your hands. Your index finger, the one you point with, is probably shorter than your ring finger. But by how much? Scientists have discovered that the length difference is generally more pronounced in men than in women, and it differs between men.
McGill University scientists have found that men with short index fingers and long ring fingers tended to be nicer toward women. The researchers, led by psychologist Debbie Moskowitz, studied 78 men and 77 women, carefully measuring their fingers and asking them to complete daily behaviour logs.
The subjects recorded every interaction with a member of the opposite sex that lasted five minutes or more.
The events, and the traits they were seeking to measure, included: “I smiled and laughed with others” ( agreeableness), “I made a sarcastic comment” ( quarrelsomeness), “I asked the other to do something” ( dominance), and “I gave in” ( submissiveness).
The men with the shorter index fingers relative to their ring fingers were significantly more agreeable and less quarrelsome when interacting with women.
As Moskowitz explains, men in this category were “more likely to listen attentively, smile and laugh, compromise or compliment the other person.” The same effect was not found in women.
The researchers believe that these behaviours stem from exposure to male sex hormones while still in the womb. Higher levels of testosterone during gestation appear to drive growth in the ring finger, leaving this permanent evidence. They also help to direct how our brains are organized.
Scientists describe men with shorter index fingers compared to ring fingers as having “low 2- D: 4D ratio” since the number is calculated by dividing the length of the second ( index) digit by the length of the fourth ( ring) digit. A typical ratio for males would be 0.947, according to one study, while females clock in at 0.965. Scientists usually make a photocopy of the hand and measure from the crease nearest the palm to the tip. Your two hands are also likely to be different.
Fetal exposure to sex hormones leaves other physical and behavioural marks on our bodies. Researchers led by Bernhard Fink measured the fingers and faces of 106 Austrians of college age and found that both pre- natal and post- natal exposure to testosterone contributed to an attractive, masculine face.
“In pubertal males,” they write, “a high testosterone- to- estrogen ( T/ E) ratio is thought to facilitate the lateral growth of the cheekbones, mandibles and chin, the forward growth of the bones of the eyebrow ridges and the lengthening of the lower face leading to a more robust face shape.”
Others have suggested that movie stars like Brad Pitt and Will Smith may owe their attractive faces to what happened in the womb.
Men with short index vs. ring fingers also tend to have more children.
In the McGill release, Moskowitz speculates that this might be because “they have more harmonious relationships with women.”
Other adult traits that have been linked to this finger ratio situation include increased penile length, higher fertility rates, as well as superior abilities in math, music, and leadership.
Yet it’s not all roses for guys who fall into this category. Men with high digit ratios seem to have a lower risk of prostate cancer and get higher exam scores. They’ve been found to be less prone to alcoholism and video game addiction.
A fascinating study from the City of London looked at male financial traders engaged in stressful, shortterm trading.
Researcher John Coates and colleagues took finger ratio measurements, and also tracked profit and loss ( P& L) figures for 20 months. They hypothesized that men with long ring fingers are greater risktakers, which might pay off in this business.
They found that prenatal testosterone exposure, as gauged by digit ratios, did indeed “predict a highfrequency trader’s long- term P& L.” It’s important to note that years of successful experience also correlates highly with success — the bad traders simply leave the business.
These researchers sagely conclude that “our model suggests a roughly even split between the contributions of biology and experience” and this is perhaps the take- away lesson for all of us. We can’t do anything about our digit ratio, which is linked to something that happened before we were even born. We can do many things to shape our lives as adults, from choosing how we interact with women to our tolerance for risky activities. Our fingers may point the way, but we’re still in control.