Sunday Times 2
Want to know if he’ll be kind and caring? Just look at his hands
Eyes may be the windows of the soul, but it’s a man’s fingers which will point out if he’s Mr Right.
Men with a ring finger much longer than their index are more likely to laugh, compromise and compliment (Reuters)
A cheeky smile may catch your eye, but a quick glimpse at a man’s hands will reveal whether he will capture your heart, according to researchers.
Men with a ring finger much longer than their index finger are more polite, attentive and considerate to women.
By comparison, experts at McGill University in Canada found that men whose digits are of a similar length are more prone to be argumentative, stubborn and rude.
Men’s index fingers are generally shorter than their ring fingers, with the difference less pronounced in women.
Previous research has found that digit ratio – defined as the second digit length divided by the fourth digit length – is an indication of the amount of male hormones, chiefly testosterone, someone has been exposed to in their mother’s womb.
The smaller the ratio – the greater the difference in finger size – the more male hormone the man was exposed to.
Professor Debbie Moskowitz, who led the study, said their results revealed men with longer ring fingers were more likely to laugh, compromise, compliment others, smile and listen to their partners.
‘When with women, men with smaller ratios were more likely to listen attentively, smile and laugh, compromise or compliment the other person,’ said Ms Moskowitz, a professor of psychology at McGill University.
‘They acted that way in sexual relationships, but also with female friends or colleagues.
‘These men were also less quarrelsome with women than with men, whereas the men with larger ratios were equally quarrelsome with both.’
Experts say that several studies have been conducted previously to try to assess the impact of finger ratio on adult behaviour, however this one is the first to highlight how finger lengths affect people differently, depending on the sex of the person they are interacting with.
‘It is fascinating to see that moderate variations of hormones before birth can actually influence adult behaviour in a selective way,’ said Simon Young, a professor of psychiatry at McGill University and co-author of the study which is published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.
For women though, variations in finger length did not seem to predict how they behaved, the researchers found.
During the 20-day study, the 155 participants filled out forms for every social interaction that lasted five minutes or more and checked off a list of their behaviour which had been classified as agreeable or quarrelsome.
Men with small digit ratios reported approximately a third more agreeable behaviours and approximately a third fewer quarrelsome encounters than men with large digit ratios.
‘Our research suggests they have more harmonious relationships with women; these behaviours support the formation and maintenance of relationships with women,’ added Ms Moskowitz
‘This might explain why they have more children on average.’
© Daily Mail, London