THE ‘CASANOVA PATTERN’ – Giacomo Casanova had the long ring finger!

Portrait of Giacomo Casanova by Anton Raphael Mengs (1768). ‘Giacomo Casanova had the long ring finger!’ Numerous references to variations in finger length patterns are found in the history of literature. However, none of the revelations are more lively than the informative comment in the memoirs of Giacomo Casanova (Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798) – who has been described as ‘world’s greatest lover’. Casanova where he recounts a conversation with the painter Anton Raphael Mengas (Casanova, 1794). Peters et al. (2002) reported that Casanova made 2 clear statements: first, that the ring finger is relatively longer than the index finger and, second, that this is the case for both men and women. What follows is a quote from the work of Casanova (The Memoirs of Casanova: Spanish Passions) about one of his conversations with the German neoclassic painter Anton Raphael Mengs. QUOTE FROM CASANOVA (1794): … Once I dared to tell him that he had made a mistake in the hand of one of his figures, as the ring finger was shorter than the index. He replied sharply that it was quite right, and shewed me his hand by way of proof. I laughed, and shewed him my hand in return, saying that I was certain that my hand was made like that of all the descendants of Adam. “Then whom do you think that I am descended from?” “I don’t know, but you are certainly not of the same species as myself.” “You mean you are not of my species; all well-made hands of men, and women too, are like mine and not like yours.” “I’ll wager a hundred doubloons that you are in the wrong.” He got up, threw down brushes and palette, and rang up his servants, sayin,- “We shall see which is right.” The servant came, and on examination he found that I was right. For once in his life, he laughed and passed it off as a joke, saying- “I am delighted that I can boast of being unique in one particular, at all events.” SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER READING: • BBC Test: finger length & sex I.D.! • Finger length & Cupid’s science! • The science of gaydar: finger length & sexual preference! • What they say about men with long ring fingers!

Finger length research: will the 2D:4D digit ratio become the new Chiromancy?

Will the 2D:4D digit ratio become the new chiromancy?

Palmistry’s finger analogue: will the 2D:4D digit ratio become the new Chiromancy? Chiromancy (cheiromancy), the notorious pseudoscience, has for two decades been creeping back into scientific favour. Is John T. Manning its new high priest? The simplicity of the measure has inevitably launched a thousand research papers on hundreds of topics – including: heart attacks, breast cancer, running speed, football ability, sexual attraction, homosexuality, and schizophrenia.

THE NEW CHIROMANCY How to understand the new Chiromancy? Hold up your right hand, and put your palm towards you and keep your fingers together; then measure the lengths of the 2th finger (index finger) and 4th finger (ring finger) – measure each finger from the tip to the crease where it joins the palm: see the picture below. Dividing the length of the 2th finger by the length of the 4th finger gives what in the jargon is known as the 2D:4D ratio!!! Folk mythology has long suggested that men with large hands or feet will be well endowed, but there seems to be biological truth in that adage, with biologists finding that the same gene family, the Hox genes, underpins the development of “apical appendages”. Professor John T. Manning says: “I believe that the pattern and nature of our decline in middle life and the disease which will eventually lead to our death, is dependent to a large extent on our experiences as a foetus.” The handedness-expert Chris McManon (psychologist from the UK) wrote a critical review of John T. Mannings ‘digit ratio’ work. You can read the full review via: • Palmistry’s digital analogue: is 2D:4D finger ratio the new Chiromancy? • The finger book – about the 2D:4D digit ratio • Hands up: what your fingers reveal about you • Digit ratio: a pointer to fertility, behavior and health • More digit ratio and finger length news

Finger length: five things that your 5 fingers can tell you!

Five things that your fingers can tell you.

Your five fingers relate to the Big Five of life: evolution, sports, behavior, diseases & your sex life: John Manning is a professor at the University of Swansea and he wrote the book “The Finger Book”. Professor John Manning explains in his book how the ratio of the index finger and ring finger (= the ‘2D:4D digit ratio’ finger length) is related to the ‘Big five’ of life.

FINGERS & EVOLUTION The human thumb is known as a ‘marker’ for the evolution of human kind; however our relative long index finger – compared to the ring finger – is a likewise example. In the chimpanzee and gorilla, this hand feature is different: they always have longer ring fingers and a short index finger. THE RING FINGER & SPORTS Exceptional performances in sports are being linked to the amount of male hormones that people absorb before birth while they stay in the womb. The ‘digit ratio’ has frequently been used to predict performances in various sports leagues. THE INDEX FINGER & SOCIAL BEHAVIOR Interestingly, especially among children a short index finger may indicate a lack of empathic ability. CROSS-CONTAMINATION There is growing statistical evidence that our finger ratios are a reliable predictor of our receptiveness to diseases. However, in real life the findings have not yet shown to have a significant impact. YOUR FINGERS & YOUR SEX-LIFE Men with long ring fingers, consider themselves as attractive. Studies show that women in the general rule agree and confirm the judgements of these men. Surprisingly, a likewise result has been found in women. READ FURTHER ABOUT MANNING’S FINDINGS: Five things that your 5 fingers can tell you! News facts about your hand More finger length & digit ratio news Hand reading: the international network How index finger vs. ring finger ratio relates to financial success of London stock traders

Hands up!!! How your fingers reveal so much about you…

The Finger Book

Hands up! John Manning explains: “When we look at our fingers, we may think they are beautiful, ugly, refined, or stubby. We use them to eat, gesticulate, carry, point. But what do they tell us about our personalities?”

“Our fingers provide us with a wealth of evidence about how men and women differ, and how they are programmed before birth to show certain behaviour patterns and likelihood of getting certain diseases.” “As a fascinating new book explains, the length of our ring and index fingers can greatly influence our personality, health and abilities.” “The early growth of our ring finger is sensitive to levels of testosterone – the so-called “male hormone”, in the womb (as the testosterone receptors are more densely packed along the finger), and the longer our ring finger the more “masculine” we will turn out to be.” “The relative length of our ring and index fingers – our “finger ratio” – therefore speaks volumes about the balance of maleness and femaleness of our body and brain.” “A long ring finger is not universal, but characteristic of men. A long index finger is found in many men, but overall it is characteristic of women as a group.” “After years of research, during which I conducted many experiments, I have concluded that there are many fascinating different things our fingers can tell us.” READ FURTHER: How your fingers reveal so much about you Finger length news & research

‘The Finger Book’ – by John Manning: a book about finger length!

The Finger Book - author: John T. Manning

Book Review: The Finger Book – author: Prof. John T. Manning, psychologist, University of Liverpool Publisher (Fabe and Faber, 2008) comment: “This book employs finger ratio to examine a group of questions about human behaviour, from sexuality, to musical ability, to predisposition to disease.”

The publisher writes about John Manning’s book The Finger Book: “This book is about a simple measurement of the human hand: the ‘finger ratio’. What could fingers & sex possibly have in common? What does the shape of a child’s fingers reveal about future music talent? Why should professional footballers have longer ring fingers than other men? This book is about a simple measurment of the human hand. You may not have noticed that men tend to have longer ring fingers relative to their index fingers, and it turns out this tiny sex difference is highly revealing. John Manning, ‘a pioneer in this field’ (New Scientist) uses it to examine a dizzying group of questions about human behaviour, from sexuality, to music ability, to predisposition to disease. Controversial, but untainglingly clear and balanced, John Manning presents his cutting-edge research for the reader to consider. The finger length ratio (2D:4D) appears to tell us what happens to babies in the whomb, indicating the amount of testosterone and oestrogen to which each foetus is exposed. This early evens has, it seems, profound consequences in each of us. Provocative, arresting and direct, The Finger Book makes accessible a whole new area of evolutionary science, and poses many fruitful questions about what makes us as we are.”

Book review by Michael E. Mills: ‘Digit ratio: A Pointer to Fertility, Behavior and Health’!

Digit Ratio: A Pointer to Fertility, Behavior and Health

Book Review: Digit Ratio: A Pointer to Fertility, Behavior and Health – author: John T. Manning Publisher: Rutgers University Press 2002 Review by Michael Mills, Psychology Department, Los Angeles.

Michael Mills writes about John Manning’s book Digit Ratio: “Take a look at your right-hand. Which of your fingers is longer: your ring finger, or your index finger? Surprisingly, a passing stranger who noticed a difference in length between these two fingers (and who had handy a copy of John Manning’s book Digit Ratio: A Pointer to Fertility, Behavior and Health) might infer some very personal characteristics about you. With no more data than that gleaned from a passing glance at your hands, a stranger might infer whether you are likely to have homosexual inclinations, are highly fertile, may eventually suffer from a heart attack or breast cancer, have musical aptitude or sporting prowess, and a surprisingly long list of other characteristics. …Females typically have index and ring fingers of about the same length. The ratio of index finger length to ring finger length is called the “2D:4D digit ratio,” or more simply, the “digit ratio.” Manning reports that, for males, the index finger is generally about 96 percent of the length of the ring finger, which gives an average digit ratio for males of .96. …Manning devotes separate chapters to explore the relationship between digit ratio and a variety of characteristics, including assertiveness and attractiveness (chapter 3), reproductive success (chapter 4), hand preference, verbal fluency, autism, and depression (chapter 5), health and disease (chapter 6), homosexuality (chapter 7), musical aptitude (chapter 8 ) and sports aptitude (chapter 9). A brief summary Manning’s findings (some of which he notes are quite preliminary) is presented in the table below.”

	Low 2D:4D ratio	High 2D:4D ratio
Males	* More fertile * Higher lifetime reproductive success * More aggressive and assertive * Greater proclivity toward homosexuality/bisexuality * Higher musical and sports aptitude * Lower SES (?)	* Higher risk of early heart disease
Females	* Greater proclivity toward homosexuality/bisexuality * More aggressive and assertive	* More fertile * Higher lifetime reproductive success * Higher risk of breast cancer