ring finger longer than index - linked to testosterone?

mix · 03-10-2007, 06:20 PM

i don't know if this has been done on here before - this finding is a few years old, so it's possible, but i thought it'd be an interesting poll.

as it says in this article

It has been known for some time that there is a direct correlation between finger lengths and the amount of the male sex hormone testosterone that a baby is exposed to in the womb.

In women, the two fingers are usually almost equal in length, as measured from the crease nearest the palm to the fingertip. In men, the ring finger tends to be much longer than the index.

Other studies looking at finger length ratio have suggested that, in men, a long ring finger and symmetrical hands are an indication of fertility, and that women are more likely to be fertile if they have a longer index finger.

Finger length can tell you a little bit about where personality comes from
Researcher Dr Peter Hurd

One study found boys with shorter ring fingers tended to be at greatest risk of a heart attack in early adulthood, which was linked to testosterone levels.

i'd be interested to see what our soulcysters finger lengths were, considering we have an elevated amount of testosterone, though i guess it's possible that it wasn't elevated in the womb.

anyway, please submit your answers

Allison. · 03-11-2007, 01:52 PM

I have 10 nieces, three have longer ring fingers, like me. :-( I will keep an eye on them as they grow up. I don't want them to go through what I did.

wishn'4Zoe · 03-11-2007, 03:20 PM

I caught the very end of something on the Discovery Channel that mentioned this. My ring finger is shorter but not by much. My mother never had any problems with her hormone levels or fertility.
I wonder if any of our cysters children have longer ring fingers?

osaria · 03-11-2007, 03:36 PM

definately! Mine is a good 1/4" - 1/2" longer.

mix · 03-11-2007, 09:58 PM

my mum actually brought this article to my attention a while ago, and i noticed my ring finger is longer than my index. the rest of my family (not sure about mum) - my sister, niece and nephew all have the opposite to me, but my newest niece (who is only 2) has the same finger length as me. it is strange, because she is very different to the rest of the kids in her temperament and her eating habits. my mum noticed straight away that she was similar to when i was a baby.

i think i'll have to keep an eye on her. at least she'll have some information at hand if she needs it. my number one piece of advice for her would be to never, ever let her weight get above a certain level. i think that is key and i wish i'd known back when i was 16 and piling on the weight - i have a strong feeling it triggered pcos.

August · 03-11-2007, 11:13 PM

Good poll topic Mix,

I would also be interested to know from those who have the the finger length trait (ring finger longer than index finger) and care to post about it, if you also began to develope PCOS symptoms at early age - since it would seem that this trait would likely"set in" at an early age or perhaps even before birth (?).

My ring finger is longer and thinking back I would say that my symptoms probably started around the age of 8 although puberty, such as it was, occured at about the normal age.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mix

Finger length can tell you a little bit about where personality comes from
Researcher Dr Peter Hurd

Also I think that I read in a book that I was flipping through at a book store (but did not buy and now don't remember the name of) that something about middle fingers was supposed to be a good indicator (for a physical trait ) of who you would marry. Does anyone happen to know about that one?

eurupthere · 03-12-2007, 12:15 AM

My husband and I both have it that our ring finger is just a smigin longer then our pointer on our left hand.
My right hand they are both the same length. His ring finger is a litte longer still on his right though.

Reesha86 · 03-12-2007, 01:09 AM

That's strange, my index finger is MUCH shorter than my ring finger on both hands. I asked DF to see his hands and his index and ring fingers are exactly the same length on both hands. IDK if this has anything to do with it, but he has always been a little more feminine than most men and I have always been a little more masucline than most women. ... strange...

MelodyGrace · 03-12-2007, 01:26 AM

Interesting. My index and ring fingers are exactly the same length. DH's ring fingers are a lot longer than his index. Good poll!

mix · 03-12-2007, 02:25 AM

just had a look at dh's hands, and his fingers are equal length. although he's all man to me, he also isn't really a manly man.

i found this on google. maybe this is the book you were thinking of, august?

and here's another recent one, taken from the uk paper, the independent.

i'm going to be checking everyone's hands now! lol

annem84 · 03-12-2007, 04:17 PM

My ring finger is longer then my index. Thanks for sharing the story.

TrishainAZ · 03-12-2007, 08:08 PM

Now, are we actually measuring the fingers from the crease like it says or are people just looking at their hands? Just curious as when I first read it, I just looked at my hands, however, when I measured I still got about the same length for both.

TrishainAZ · 03-12-2007, 08:13 PM

Well, i jsut measured my daughter's and sadly she does have a longer ring finger. i sure hope that isn't an indicator that she will end up with PCOS. As I stated above, mine are about equal in length.

mix · 03-15-2007, 07:30 PM

interesting results. it'd be even more interesting to find out whether non-pcos people have the same thing or not.