FINGER RATIO POINTS TO FUTURE HAIR LOSS

HOW TO MEASURE IT: Measure each finger from where it meets the palm to the tip. To get the ratio, divide the length of the index finger by the length of the ring finger. The average ratio for a man is 0.95; for a woman it is approaching one.

THE POTENTIAL RISKS: In men, a longer ring finger has been linked to high fertility, aggression, an increased risk of ADHD and depression, as well as baldness, but a lower risk of heart attack .

In women, long ring fingers are associated with a reduced risk of early breast cancer. Women with longer ring fingers are also more likely to develop osteoarthritis of the hand, according to Israeli research based on 1,500 people published in Rheumatology International.

WHAT’S GOING ON? A relatively long ring finger is a sign of exposure to higher levels of testosterone in the womb, while a relatively long index finger points to greater amounts of oestrogen. One theory is that for a short time in foetal development, there are testosterone receptors on the fingers and that the ring finger may have more of these receptors and grow faster when exposed to it. Men with a long ring finger compared with their index finger are more likely to end up bald. In a study reported in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, men with hair loss had a ratio of 0.893, much lower than the 0.971 seen in a control group with no hair loss problems. Male hair loss is linked to exposure to testosterone (which is also linked to longer ring fingers).