Are You Athletic Or Anxious? Look At The Length Of Your Fingers, Study Reveals

First Posted: Oct 15, 2016 05:49 AM EDT
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The length of your fingers would likely tell you if you are anxious or athletic, according to a new study. This refers to the measurements of the index finger and the ring finger, which indicates how much testosterone you have.

According to hormone.org, testosterone is the main sex hormone also known as anabolic steroids or steroid hormone that develop the reproductive function in male vertebrates. Women also have testosterone but in such smaller amounts than men. The testosterone levels change from hour to hour. They reach the highest levels at the age of 20 to 20 and lower at the age of 30 to 35.

Carl Pintza, a medical doctor and researcher at the National Competence Service for Functional MRI said that the relationship between the index finger and the ring finger, in particular, suggests how much testosterone you have been exposed to in utero. He examined how the brain functions differently in men and women. He also created a theory about the significance of finger length and how the brain works.

In the study, Dr. Pintza measured the finger length of 42 women. Half of them were given a drop of testosterone and the other half were five a placebo. Then, they all solved various mental tasks. The study indicates how testosterone levels affect different abilities in healthy women both in the womb and adulthood, according to Pintza.

It also suggests that an index finger that is shorter than the ring finger indicates a lot of exposure to testosterone in utero. Meanwhile, the relatively long index finger than the ring finger suggests a lower exposure to testosterone in the womb.

According to Science Daily, the index finger and the ring finger in humans are linked with various abilities in adulthood. Dr. Pintza explained that the greatest effect has been found for various physical and athletic measures, where high levels of prenatal testosterone are associated with better capabilities. "Beyond this, we find a number of uncertain results, but a general feature is that high levels of testosterone generally correlate with superior abilities on tasks that men usually perform better, such as various spatial tasks like directional sense." On the other hand, the low levels of testosterone are linked with better abilities in verbal memory tasks like remembering lists of words.

The study also indicates that high levels of testosterone in utero would likely have a greater risk of acquiring diseases such as ADHD, autism, and Tourette's, which are common to men. On the other hand, the low levels of testosterone indicate a greater risk of developing anxiety and depression, which are common in women.

In the study, women scored best on the mental rotation tasks had high levels of testosterone both prenatally and in their adults' lives. On the other hand, those who scored worst had low levels in both, according to Dr. Pintzka.

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