In the two videos below are taken from a Korean TV program featuring Professor John Manning describing how he is able to ‘predict’ the talents in Korean children.
(Manning is talking about visuospatial skills vs. verbal skills)
John Manning predicts winner of a 100 meters athletics race (five athletes) – by finger length only!
March 12, 2010
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Could finger length serve as a reliable predictor of athletic ability? Another experiment with five athletes – all specialized in 100 meters running… is John Manning able to predict the winner of the race? SUMMARY OF VIDEO (TRANSLATION): This video – broadcasted in Spanish language – includes e.g. scenes from Discovery Channel. Professor John T. Manning explains how finger length is related to athletic ability. Finger length ratios are established in utero under the influence of testosterone. Testosterone plays an important role in the early development of the heart and lungs – the ‘motor’ of every athlete! But it is very hard to say how much in utero testosterone is involved in the early development of individuals. However, the 2D:4D finger length provides an indication for the amount of in utero testosterone. In the second half of this video Mannings describes that the five athletes all must have had large amounts of testosterone during their early development in the whomb – because their ‘2D:4D finger ratio’ is rather low (for males). But in only one athlete the ‘2D:4D finger ratio’ is exceptionally low – and Manning explains why he expects that this athlete (no.5) has the best chance to win the race. Then the moment of truth arrives… the athletes are prepairing to start the race. Who will win? The movie shows clearly that athlete no.5 was by far able to make the fastest start… during the race athlete no.2 becomes very competing… but at the finish athlete no.5 is still ahead, and wins the race. Manning made the right prediction! At the end of the video Manning explains his prediction again, but he also points out that the proceses in the womb do not explain everything. Feel free to watch the video again – knowing the succesfull outcome of the experiment should make you enjoy watching this video, and it should be easy to remember the outcome again!!! SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER READING: John T. Manning – ‘the finger Professor’! |
John Manning attempts to deduce the winner of a race by studying the finger length of 6 athletes!
March 5, 2010
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What does finger length say about athletic ability? In a BBC project “Secrets of the Sexes” John T. Manning risked his reputation by participating in an experiment with six athletes: all 5000 meters specialists… the outcome is simply astonishing!
Professor John T. Manning explains: “… What I should be able to do is look at the differences between the ring finger and index finger, and on that basis rank these runners: first, second, third, fourth and so on. In theory that should work.” Comment voice explains: “In practice we’re providing professor Manning with photocopies of the athletes hands. And in return he’s risking his reputation by providing us with the results of a race that has yet to be run.” You can now learn more about the fascinating ‘2D:4D digit ratio’: take a look at the outcome of this rather remarkable experiment – you will likely enjoy it, and probably… you will remember the outcome easily!!! (starting at 2:05 of the youtube video) SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING:
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Finger length: five things that your 5 fingers can tell you!
March 13, 2009
 Five things that your fingers can tell you. |
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: |
How your finger length relates to your body height!
December 9, 2008
 Finger length appears to be related to body height. |
Finger length relates to body height: Earlier this year a Turkish study reported that in a sample of 386 right handed students, body height was found to correlate negatively with the right- and left hand digit ratios (significant for the left hand in men, and the right hand in women). This implicates that in both males and females evidence was found that a ‘low digit ratio’ is more frequently found in people who has a long body height. |
| SOME ADDITIONAL POPULATION EVIDENCE:
‘Finger Guru’ John T. Manning presented in his first book Digit Ratio an overview of data related to the ‘digit ratio’ in various populations. This data (Manning, Barley, et al.; 2000) points out that e.g. in Spanish & British people (both populations for both men and women) a significant HIGHER ‘2D:4D digit ratio’ (the ratio between the index- and ring finger) was found, compared to for example the finger ratios in Finish & German people (again in both populations for both men and women). Interestingly, especially Spanish people, and in a lesser degree British people as well, are known for their (relatively) short body height – while Germans & Fins are known for their moderelately longer body height (compared to the Spanish & British): see the figure below. This implicates that there appears to be a strong link between the Turkish study which was published in 2008, and the earlier population evidence mentioned by Manning!!
READ FURTHER ABOUT FINGER LENGTH & VARIOUS POPULATIONS: |
BBC: Finger Length, thumb dominance & Sex ID test!
November 4, 2008
 Sex ID.  Research says that your finger length ratio is related to your sex ID.
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Are men and women’s brains wired differently? You might know what sex you are on the outside – but what sex are you on the inside? Some researchers say that men can have ‘women’s brains’ and that women can think more like men. Find out more about ‘brain sex’ differences by taking the Sex ID test, a series of visual challenges and questions used by psychologists in the BBC One television series Secrets of the Sexes: |
| ADDITIONAL INFO:
The scientists behind Sex ID asked test takers a series of questions, some of which covered personal or sexual topics. The questions were included to help researchers learn more about brain sex differences. For example, they are interested to know how test takers’ finger measurements relate to the number of brothers and sisters they have. There is a theory that the amount of testosterone we are exposed to in our mothers’ wombs relates to the ratio of the length of our index fingers to the length of our ring fingers – our digit ratios. Furthermore, it’s thought that prenatal testosterone may increase or decrease systematically with each male child a woman has. Dr John Manning is particularly interested to learn if there is a link between testosterone and birth order. That’s why we asked test takers to measure their fingers and answer questions about their families. YOU CAN STILL DO THE BBC SEX I.D. TEST: NOTICE: After taking the test you can compare your Sex I.D. with the results below of the men and women who did the test online during the BBC’s One Show.
READ FURTHER ABOUT FINGER SECRETS:
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Your finger length and your sexual preference!
October 19, 2008
Index fingers of most straight men are shorter than the ring fingers; most straight women have the same length or index longer. Gay men and lesbians tend to have reversed ratios.
We all know that the body length of males is usually longer than the body length of females. Scientists call this difference between the sexes: a ‘sexually dismorphic trait’.
The picture below describes some details of this male-female dimorphic trait: about 75% of men are longer than about 75% of females.
John Manning reported in his first book, titled: Digit Ratio that a likewise ‘sexually dimporphic trait’ is noticed in the hands. In the hands of men, the index finger tends to be shorter than the ring finger. And in the hands of women the index finger tends to be the same size (or slightly longer) than the ring finger.
The picture below describes some details of this ‘sexually dimorphic trait’ in the hand: in about 75% of men the ring finger is longer than the index finger; however in females the percentage is about 50%.
Interestingly, John Manning also has pointed out that various studies have indicated that the relative lengths of our fingers offer a hint related to the sexual preference of a person!
For, as expected the index fingers of most straight men appear to be shorter than their ring fingers, while for most straight women the length of both fingers is closer to equal, or even reversed in ratio. But some researchers have noted that gay men are likely to have finger-length ratios more in line with those of straight women, and a study of self-described “butch” lesbians showed significantly masculinized ratios. An overview of these results is presented in the picture below:
An overview of the scientific sources which have found a link between finger length and sexual preference:
* The effects of sex, ethnicity, and sexual orientation on self-measured digit ratio (2D:4D). – 2007
* Digit ratio (2D:4D) in homosexual and heterosexual men from Austria. – 2005
* 2nd to 4th digit ratio and a universal mean for prenatal testosterone in homosexual men. – 2003
* The ratio of 2nd to 4th digit length and male homosexuality. – 2000
* Finger length ratios and sexual orientation – 2000
Illustration from the last study (Williams, 2000):
Hands up!!! How your fingers reveal so much about you…
October 11, 2008
 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?”
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| “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:
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Finger length related to autism! | Low ‘digit ratio’ (0.94)
October 1, 2008
 Autism research in the hands of children. |
The world’s most famous ‘digit ratio’ research, John T. Manning, has begun examining autism too. He teamed up with Simon Baron- Cohen and Svetlana Lutchmaya from the University of Cambridge, who have used samples of amniotic fluid to directly measure the levels of hormones that babies are exposed to in the womb. |
| When the children reached their first birthday, the researchers measured their vocabularies and ability to make eye contact. Poor language skills and an unwillingness to make eye contact are early hallmarks of autism. They found that babies who’d been exposed to high levels of testosterone in the womb fared the worst.
“What we’re hoping to look at is whether finger ratios can be used as a proxy for hormones,” says Lutchmaya. Amniocentesis (sampling the amniotic fluic surrounding the unborn baby) is a risky procedure that only a few mothers choose to undergo, she says. But by measuring finger lengths instead, researchers can assess a random sample of children for possible early signs of impaired language and social skill development. Currently, they are checking the fingers of children for whom they have amniotic samples. Meanwhile, Manning and Baron-Cohen have looked at the finger ratios of 49 children with firm diagnoses of autism, 23 with a mild form of the disorder called Asperger’s syndrome, and their families. The researchers found that autistic children tended to have very low 2D:4D ratios. Interestingly, children with Asperger’s syndrome had ratios that fell between those of autistics and unaffected children. “It fits exceptionally well with the theory,” says Manning. Clearly genes play a role too in these conditions. But could fetal hormone levels explain other cognitive differences between the sexes? Janel Tortorice at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, thinks they may. She has measured finger ratios in 2D:4D ratio gay women and found that their hands were significantly different from those of heterosexual women-in fact, they tend to resemble those of heterosexual men. But she has also found differences in the way these women’s brains work. “They have more masculine fingers and more masculine cognition,” she says. On tests of spatial and verbal ability, lesbian volunteers perform more like men than heterosexual women, she says. If this can be confirmed by further studies, perhaps Manning’s most recent suggestion is not as outrageous as it sounds. He claims that musical talent, too, is nurtured in the womb. An overview of the scientific sources which have found a link between finger length (low ‘digit ratio’: 0.94) and autism: * The 2th to 4th ratio and autism – 2001 (PDF) * [Evaluation of the 2nd to 4th digit ratio in the patients with autism] – 2005 (Japanese study)
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‘The Finger Book’ – by John Manning: a book about finger length!
September 29, 2008
 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.” |
Finger length & DIGIT RATIO hand news! 