Take a look at your 2th finger and 4th finger: is this the new palmistry?

The index finger vs. ring finger ratio could become the basis of a new type of palmistry In 2007 a British study pointed out that the intellectual talent of 7-year old children can be discovered by measuring their finger length. Was this study a new milestone for the new palmistry? The British study reaveld that pupils with long ring fingers & short ring finger are more likely to excell in numeracy; while pupils with short ring fingers & long index fingers are better at literacy. Last year professor John T. Manning – a.k.a. the ‘finger professor’ – presented his 2th book about the 2D:4D finger ratio: ‘The Finger Book‘ (2008). Recently another British hand-expert, professor Chris McManus, responded with a review of Mannings work. McManus focusses on Manning’s claim that finger-length ratios point to individual and sex differences. THE NEW PALMISTRY? Manning’s theories are build upon the belief that there is a connection between finger lengths and sexual development – via the sex hormone testosterone – which appears to implicate that whenever one sees a longer ring finger one can infer the existence of higher testosterone levels in early foetal development. The simplicity of the measure has inevitably launched a thousand research papers on hundreds of topics, finding correlations of 2D:4D with – to select just the terms used in Manning’s chapter titles – heart attacks, breast cancer, infectious diseases, skin colour, running speed, football ability, sexual attraction, homosexuality, and schizophrenia. Nevertheless, whether the new palmistry will succeed is far from clear at present since many questions remain unanswered so far. The biggest unanswered question appears to be: could your 2D:4D finger ratio provide any usefull clue regarding your personal attributes, in terms of: your genetic-, medical-, and/or psychological characteristics? SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING: • Palmistry’s digital analogue: the new Chiromancy? • News about the 2D:4D finger length ratio • The digit ratio weblog!!