Which hand is more competitive?
The length of a girl’s ring finger could be an indicator of her future sporting potential, researchers at King’s College London said on Thursday.
In the largest study of its kind, hand measurements of 607 female twins aged 25-79 from the UK were compared with the women’s lifetime sporting achievements.
The findings, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that women with ring fingers longer than their index fingers had performed better at running and associated running sports such as soccer and tennis.
In women the ring finger is commonly shorter or the same length as the index finger, while in men the ring finger is generally longer.
The report said detection of sporting potential by examining the ratio between the index and ring fingers “could help identify talented individuals at a pre-competitive stage.”
“Sporting potential”, eh? How will urban legends and other absurdities make use of this information?
People have known this for a long time. It has to do with testosterone levels in one’s body. If the ring finger is longer than the index, there is more masculinity in that body (my case, btw). It works with either male or female. Do the observations yourself. Look at a tomboy’s hands and notice that her ring finger will be longer than her index. Also, look at effeminate men, or sissies, and notice that their index finger is longer than their ring finger. It is interesting and very telling.
#1
I know what you call “sissies” and believe me, the finger length has nothing to do with their attitude, yer just being a nastier Archie Bunker than I will ever be.
Is this what passes for science now days? The asylum is being run by the inmates.
“could help identify talented individuals at a pre-competitive stage.”
Now competitive parents and coaches can push the “high potential” young’uns, while not wasting their time with the “low potential” girls?
You know it will happen… else why mention “pre-competitive”? 🙁
The length of a girl’s ring finger could be an indicator of her future
Yep. Just as female pubic hairs in her teeth indicate she may qualify to join the LPGA.
Long fingers do help with the “clean n’ jerk”, however.
People have known this for a long time. It has to do with testosterone levels in one’s body. If the ring finger is longer than the index, there is more masculinity in that body (my case, btw). It works with either male or female. Do the observations yourself. Look at a tomboy’s hands and notice that her ring finger will be longer than her index. Also, look at effeminate men, or sissies, and notice that their index finger is longer than their ring finger. It is interesting and very telling.
Saith the self-proclaimed “Buddhist” who said that sexual differences are all in the mind, just a few days ago.
Next up: phrenology.
What a crock.
My wife and I were examining our fingers last night. Both of us had very long ring fingers. And of course we discussed how great we are at sports. Only that we really aren’t. We are not athletes, we are engineers with long ring fingers.
If you are female and have a significant ring/index finger ratio, it only means you are more likely to be athletic. But you may also be damn poor at sports too. The ratio is for a population (or subpopulation). Within that population there will be significant variances – high finger ratio with poor abilities, and low finger ratio with excellent sportswoman abilities.
I love the statistics associated with the fraternal birth order.
The fraternal birth order effect is the strongest known predictor of sexual orientation, each older brother increases a man’s chances of being gay by about 33%. We kid my youngest brother about that. He’s boy number four.
It’s a pity reporters have no idea how to evaluate studies before they start to trumpet them. This was a study of TWINS. Most people are not a twin, and the study may have no validity.
Further, at best there’s a correlation here, but no way to determine what might cause it. There are easy ways to test this theory, but i guess it makes better press to just publish and run with it.
There for a while I was disappointed, until I realized the index finger was the one next to the thumb. and it kind of applies, as before the spare tire days I could get around pretty good. And then, of course, there is the alternate definition of “sporting”.
Six-term Republican Rep. Mark Foley of Florida resigned from the U.S. Congress, in disgrace…
Rather than celebrate, we have to talk about index fingers and other such bullshit?
#12….OFTLO….we were just waiting for December to celebrate. Then we can have one large bash to celebrate all the politicians of both parties that were disgraced this year all at once.
Topic Drift, Topic Drift!
http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/T/topic-drift.html
#14 – From your link The term ‘topic drift’ is often used in gentle reminders that the discussion has strayed off any useful track.
This topic never started on a useful track. 🙂
This is bullshit. I am an athlete, I have been one my whole life. I was a professional dancer, now I am a yoga instructor by profession and a long distance runner and weight lifter by hobby. I am also a writer and musician–and my index finger is way longer than my ring finger. I excel in running–I won a medal in my first event at age 36. However–I was never very good at math, and I tend to be excellent in spelling and verbal skills. But the athletic part doesn’t apply to me at all. So the thing about girls being better at running with shorter index fingers is bull. When I was a kid, I could beat all the boys in running.