A study shows that people whose index finger is shorter than their ring finger are more likely to have a psychiatric disorder.
- A study shows that people whose index finger is shorter than their ring finger are more likely to have a psychiatric disorder.
- Having an index finger shorter than the ring finger is also associated with higher testosterone and lower estrogen exposure during the first trimester of pregnancy.
- However, the lead author cautions against generalization: having an index finger shorter than the ring finger does not automatically mean that the person has psychopathic traits.
Do you suspect your ex or your boss of being a psychopath? unot physical clue could give it away: their fingers. People with certain traits of psychopathy, including antisocial behavior and substance use disorders, have an index finger shorter than their ring finger, according to Canadian researchers.
Psychological disorders associated with index/ring finger ratio
Canadian researchers are not the first to have studied the size differences between the index and ring fingers. It even has a name: The report 2D:4D. It has been shown that when the latter is low (i.e. shorter index finger, compared to longer ring finger)individuals are more likely to exhibit aggressive behaviors and “dark triad” traits, or interdependent and malicious personalities such as narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism.
People with an index finger smaller than the ring finger seem also get “high results in terms of mental strength and sports performance”. The scientists specify that a report 2D:4D Low was also associated with higher testosterone and lower estrogen exposure during the first trimester of pregnancy.
To better understand these knowledge, the team investigated whether there was a link between the 2D ratio:4D and antisocial personality or amphetamine use disorders. To do this, the scientists brought together 44 people diagnosed with one or both of these disorders, as well as 36 individuals in good mental health. Psychological assessments and right palm measurements were performed for each participant.
Higher “Dark Triad” Traits
Analysis of the volunteers’ hands confirms that “compared to healthy controls, people with a clinically diagnosed psychiatric problem were more likely to have a shorter index and longer ring finger.”
The authors specify in their article in the February edition of Newspaper of Psychiatric Research : “For the clinical sample, a report 2D:4D lower was associated with higher dark triad traits.”
In contrast, there was no significant correlation with narcissism or intolerance of uncertainty.
Asked by PsyPostthe lead author of the study, Serge Brand recognize : “We were surprised to observe such a linear association between higher symptoms of psychopathology and ratios 2D:4D weaker. That’s to say : the more signs of psychopathology an adult participant had, the more it seemed that that adult had been exposed to higher concentrations of testosterone and lower concentrations of estrogen during the prenatal period of life.“
Psychopathy and finger size: no hasty generalizations
But be careful, having this physical characteristic does not necessarily mean the presence of a psychological disorder.
“It is important to understand that finger length ratio as a surrogate for specific exposure to prenatal sex steroids should not be understood as a person’s irrevocable destiny!”, reassures the scientist in the pages of PsyPost.
This discovery shows above all that “Individuals with amphetamine use disorder and co-occurring antisocial personality disorder appear to have been exposed to particularly high prenatal testosterone and particularly low estrogen concentrations.”
So don’t panic if your neighbor or your other half has a shorter index finger. He’s not necessarily a potential psychopath…
