Men's Finger Length Can Predict How They Treat Women

How much can you learn about a person by their fingers? You can learn quite a bit, according to new research. Scientists have found that men with short index fingers and long ring fingers are, on average, nicer toward women.

Men's index fingers are generally shorter than their ring fingers. This difference is actually less pronounced in women, and previous research has showed that digit ratio is an indication of the amount of male hormones, chiefly testosterone, that someone has been exposed to as a fetus. The smaller the ratio, the more male hormones a person has been exposed to. Interestingly, this has an impact on how adult men behave, especially with women.

"It is fascinating to see that moderate variations of hormones before birth can actually influence adult behavior in a selective way," said Simon Young, one of the researchers, in a news release.

Several studies have actually been conducted in the past to assess the impact of digit ratio on adult behavior. This study, though, is the first to highlight how finger lengths affect behavior differently depending on the sex of the person you are interacting with.

"When with women, men with smaller ratios were more likely to listen attentively, smile and laugh, compromise or compliment the other person," said Debbie Moskowitz, one of the researchers.

In fact, the researchers found that the men acted this way not only in sexual relationships, but also with female friends or colleagues. The men were also less quarrelsome with women than with men. Men with larger ratios, in contrast, were equally quarrelsome with both. Digit variation in women didn't seem to predict how they behaved, though.

In addition, previous studies revealed that men with smaller digit ratios also had more children.

"Our research suggests they have more harmonious relationships with women; these behaviors support the formation and maintenance of relationships with women," said Moskowitz. "This might explain why they have more children on average."

The findings are published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).