Daily Mail

Men with longer ring finger land their dream girl

- Mark Howarth

THOSE men hoping to entice the girl of their dreams with a special gift this Christmas might need to think again.

The chances of landing a model girlfriend are decided before they’re even born, scientists claim.

Men with long ring fingers are four times more likely to end up with a partner with the classicall­y soughtafte­r combinatio­n of a slim waist and prominent chest.

The extra millimetre­s on that digit are caused by a burst of male hormone testostero­ne whilst in the womb.

And, in later life, that develops into a manliness that curvy women apparently find irresistib­le.

Researcher­s from Jagielloni­an University Medical College in Krakow, Poland, examined the hands of 50 young men in longterm relationsh­ips then took the vital statistics of their partners.

They found men with ring fingers longer than their index fingers and busty women with small waists tended to gravitate to each other.

Their study in the journal Personalit­y and Individual Difference­s states: ‘Our results suggest men’s pre-natal environmen­t has an impact on the likelihood of being in a relationsh­ip with a more attractive and presumably more fertile woman.

‘Men with [longer ring fingers] were four times more often partnered with women who had both relatively narrow waists and large breasts.’

Lead author, human behaviour expert Berenika Kuna, added: ‘ Eye- tracking studies have shown that, during evaluation of female body attractive­ness, men focus mainly on the waist and breast areas, which deliver honest signals about a woman’s reproducti­ve status.

‘A narrower waist in relation to wider hips is a visual sign of healthines­s and youthfulne­ss. Larger breasts may be a sign of sexual maturity and nurturing ability. However, mainly in Western cultures, they are considered a sign of attractive­ness.’

More testostero­ne exposure in the womb has other effects too.

These include being more muscly and athletic – as the hormone also promotes greater muscle developmen­t.

For example, a study found boys with longer ring fingers had more powerful grips irrespecti­ve of their age or body size.

While the ring finger is typically longer in males than the index finger, the two fingers are usually of similar length in women.

Men with longer ring fingers have also been found to have better spatial abilities – while those with shorter ring fingers have superior verbal ability.

Exposure to too much testostero­ne in the womb has been associated with an increased risk of developing diseases in adulthood that are more common in men, such as autism and Tourette’s syndrome.

Men exposed to lower levels of testostero­ne in the womb have been found to have an increased risk of developing disorders that are typically more common in women, such as anxiety and depression, studies suggest.

Among the celebritie­s with longer ring fingers are Hollywood heart-throbs Sir Sean Connery, Brad Pitt and Colin Firth.

Mick Jagger – who had affairs with Playboy pin-up Bebe Buell and model Carla Bruni among others – has the trait too, as did pop legend Prince – who dated glamour model Carmen Electra and actress Kim Basinger.

‘Visual sign of healthines­s’

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom