What do your fingers say about your drinking habits? Research shows this

finger length According to a new study conducted by researchers from Medical University of Lodz (Poland) And Swansea University (UK)which builds on previous research in which the proportions of different digits indicate behavioral patterns largely determined by sexually dimorphic physiological and behavioral states.

The results, which were just published in the American Journal of Human Biology, showed that relationship between high alcohol consumption and long fourth finger relative to the second finger of the right hand. This demonstrated that high levels of prenatal testosterone relative to estrogen are associated with high alcohol consumption among college students.

“Alcohol consumption is a serious social and economic problem. Therefore, it is important to understand why alcohol consumption shows significant differences between people,” the professor says. John Manning

from the Swansea Applied Sport, Technology, Exercise and Medicine (A-STEM) research group.

The study used sample of 258 participantsall students, 169 of them women, and showed that consumption levels varied by gender. Compared to women, men consume more alcohol and have a higher mortality rate from alcohol abuse. “This pattern suggests the involvement of sex hormones such as testosterone and estrogen,” says the researcher.

This study, like previous ones that used digit span, shows that the relative length of the second finger (index) and fourth finger (ring) (2D:4D) is a putative negative correlate of prenatal exposure to early testosterone (corresponding to long ring finger) and estrogen (long index finger).

The study is also based on evidence that in patients with alcohol dependence, the ring finger is very long in relation to the second finger, which suggests high testosterone levels regarding estrogen exposure before birth.

As expected, the researcher notes, “The associations were stronger in men than in women.”. He now hopes his findings will lead to a better understanding of the factors underlying drinking patterns, from abstinence to occasional drinking and addiction.

Although correlational studies suggest that digit proportions reflect prenatal androgen exposure, the developmental mechanism underlying the development of sexual dimorphism in digits remains unknown.

HOW TO KNOW WHETHER YOUR FINGERS ARE SHOWING WHAT YOU’RE DRINKING

Alcohol consumption was negatively associated with 2D:4D, suggesting that high prenatal testosterone (long index) and low prenatal estrogen (short index) are associated with their intake. What is measured is digital ratiothat is, the ratio of the lengths of different fingers of the hand, from the middle of the lower bend point (where the finger connects to the hand) to the tip of the finger. The difference between the two fingers indicates how much greater the consumption is.

The strength of the correlation ranged from small to large, with the strongest found for the 2D:4D variation in the right hand in men. The choice of the right arm for the 2D:4D ratio study is not accidental, but reflects the idea that this arm responds more clearly to prenatal hormonal influences, providing a more accurate biological marker.

The body size of the observed subjects was also analyzed; the evidence in this case was small, limited to men, and did not depend on finger proportions.