Digit Ratio
• Pseudoscience
I see some really bad self-help books coming from this.
Despite its grounding in science, digit ratio has its shortcomings. First, accurate measurement of finger length is no task for the layperson; it’s a lot trickier than it might seem. “Digit ratio is not easy to measure because one is measuring very small differences between the index and ring finger,” Manning explained. “Some [researchers] measure directly from the fingers (which is good), others from photocopies and scans of the fingers (not so good), a few from tracings around the fingers (very bad).” And, Manning added, digit ratio varies among ethnic groups: Caucasians tend to have high 2D:4D, while black and East Asian people tend to have low 2D:4D, he notes.
Palm Reading? Forget It. But the Length of Your Digits Just Might Hold Hints About Who You Are