What does your finger-length reveal about your health and personality?

Long, slender fingers in women are not just to be admired; they indicate much more. For instance, people with exceptionally long ring fingers and specifically women may have a greater risk of developing arthritis in their knees, independent of other risk factors, according to new research. Index to ring finger length ratio (referred to as 2D:4D) is a trait known for its differences between the sexes. Usually, women's index and ring fingers are of equal length, while men’s second finger is a little shorter than the fourth. So according to the study, women with the male pattern of length ratio - that is, ring finger relatively longer than the index finger - are more likely to develop knee osteoarthritis. The difference between the lengths of a woman's index and ring fingers could also be an indicator of a woman’s sporting prowess. A study carried out on 607 women participants found that the highest achievement in any sport was strongly linked to a low second to fourth finger ratio. More…

The length of a man's fingers can also reveal a lot, particularly about his physically aggressiveness. The shorter the index finger is, compared to the ring finger, the more boisterous he will be, the researchers of University of Alberta said. However there were no correlations between finger lengths and people who are prone to exhibit verbally aggressive, angry, or hostile behaviors. In this study conducted on 300 undergraduates, men with the shortest index fingers scored higher on measures of physical aggression than those with longer index fingers, the study's findings was not applicable to women, though.

The results of numeracy and literacy tests for seven-year-old children can be predicted by measuring the length of their fingers, another study showed. A clear link was found between a child's performance in numeracy and literacy tests and the relative lengths of their index and ring fingers. Scientists believe that the link is caused by different levels of the exposure to hormones testosterone and oestrogen in the womb -- and the effect they have on both brain development and finger length. One study also found that boys with shorter ring fingers tended to be at greatest risk of a heart attack in early adulthood, which was linked to testosterone levels.

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