What Do Your Digits Say About Your Brain?
A recent study conducted at the University of Bath makes the claim that the length of a child’s fingers can be a predictor of SAT performance. Researchers measured the relative lengths of ring and index fingers of 75 seven-year-old children and evaluated them in relation to their SAT scores for math and literacy.
On the average hand, the ring and index fingers are fairly equal in length, with the tops of each reaching to about the halfway point of the upper phalange of the middle finger.
Prior studies on finger length had linked a longer than average ring finger to higher levels of prenatal testosterone exposure. This most recent study examined the difference between the length of the ring and index fingers, revealing that children whose ring fingers are longer than their index fingers consistently scored higher on the math section of the SAT than the on the language skills section. Those children with index fingers that exceeded the length of the ring fingers had higher scores on the literacy skills section of the test.
It was also found that the greater the disparity in length between the ring and index fingers, the greater the difference in scores for the math and literacy sections of the SAT.
My own experience seems to confirm the results of this research. While I did reasonably well on my math SAT, my score for the language skills section was far and away the better of the two. As you can see from this print of my left hand, my index finger is much longer than my ring finger. Based on my SAT scores, I was able to skip the basic English composition course in my first year of college.
If you have a marked difference between your ring and index fingers and you remember how you fared on your SATs, please leave me a comment. I would love to hear from you, whether your own experience supports these findings or contradicts them.
Technorati Tags: SAT scores, finger length, palmistry, hand analysis
Posted: June 23rd, 2007 under General Wisdom, Left Brain, Right Brain, Palmistry.
Comments: 15
Comments
Comment from The Magpie Herself
Time: June 23, 2007, 9:30 pm
My index finger is a teensy bit longer than my ring finger. I scored 550 math and 700 verbal on SATS.
Comment from Kieron
Time: June 24, 2007, 6:54 am
My ring fingers exceed my forefingers by perhaps three millimeters. I don’t recall my SAT scores but one thing that sets me apart is that despite a severe hearing loss, my English, language and composition skills have exceeded my math skills by light-years from age 5 on. For most children with hearing loss, it’s the reverse. I attribute it to my Gemini ASC as well as being read to constantly as a child.
Comment from Kenneth Lagerstrom
Time: June 24, 2007, 9:52 am
True for me. My ring fingers are almost as long as the middle fingers, and index finger a bit short. I did very well on the math scores, but not so well in English.
Comment from rebecca
Time: June 25, 2007, 3:20 pm
My index finger is longer than my ring finger. I’m pretty sure my math score was 90 points higher than my English score on the SAT.
Comment from Neith
Time: June 26, 2007, 4:57 pm
My ring fingers are significantly longer than my index fingers but math has always been my worst subject and i also was allowed to pass on the first quarter of English comp class in college. Mercury on the ascendant in Scorpio exactly inconjunct Uranus in Gemini (conjunct North Node in Gemini). I was both read to as a small child & am a life-long avid reader.
Comment from sylvia
Time: June 29, 2007, 6:15 pm
My ring fingers are slightly longer than my index fingers; however, geometry almost gave me a nervous breakdown at 15 and my failure to grasp intermediate algebra was the main reason I did not complete college.
Comment from nancy
Time: July 10, 2007, 11:08 am
I got 100 points higher on my math Sat’s than my verbal. I have been an astrologer for over 35 years and that demands a good bit of mathematical understanding. However, I am also a writer and pretty strong in my use of verbal skills. My index finger is noticeably longer than my ring finger, perhaps a quarter inch.
Comment from Karen
Time: July 11, 2007, 8:06 pm
It loks like my index finger is a little longer, but not extremely so.it may not even be at all.
I *am* much better in reading comprehansion/language skills than mathematics.
However, I don’t think my SAT scores would matter all that much.They were different yes, (language skills vs math skills) but, I was not only hung-ver, but was in the terrible after effects of former erug use at the time.
My IQ test ,though, showed unusual differences beteen my reading comprehansion, and spatial conceptseven some 18 yrs later.
(this difference in intellience ability is not generally true) but for me it was so to the point where my spatial conception ability changed my over-all IQ score by about 20 points.
Comment from Helen
Time: July 17, 2007, 10:20 am
I did not take the SAT (grew up in Europe); however, I did consistently better in math (algebra, calculus though spatial math was more of a struggle) than language. My index fingers are slightly longer than my ring fingers
Comment from Jude Cowell
Time: August 20, 2007, 8:29 pm
Ah HAH! My digits and SAT score outcomes are like yours. English comp was definitely easier than most math–with the exception of Geometry (I’ve always loved to draw too and then there’s the Sacred Geometry, isn’t there?)
Great article!
jc
Comment from arupo
Time: August 24, 2007, 10:26 am
Yes, that is interesting about finger lengths. My ring finger is quite a bit longer and yes, I did score better in math. In fact my hs math teacher hoped I would go on to teach math. Back then, about 50 years ago, I was one of only two females in my hs solid geometry class. I loved Trig!
Though I am getting better at writing and love to read.
Comment from Julie
Time: November 20, 2007, 6:50 pm
My ring finger is a lot longer than my index finger, my scores were 660 math and 630 verbal. But I’ve always been a lot better at math…
Comment from dani
Time: December 8, 2007, 1:33 pm
i don’t rememeber my SAT scores, but i do recall my verbal score was vastly higher than the math score. . .depsite my ring finger being longer than my index finger.
Comment from Velicia
Time: March 9, 2008, 8:15 am
I am in colege at the moment and I flew past the literacy test, but my math scores were on the ower end of the spectrum. My index finger is longer than my ring finger. Math is really a thorn in my side. Thank goodness I’m a communications major. Great article.
So the next question is how do we take advantage of this in terms of math skills and raising the bar in that area?
Comment from haikuhelen
Time: March 17, 2008, 1:01 am
my index fing is far longer than my ring figer..
i did much better on the math section. i am deslexic - cant spell.
my math skills are very good..
sorry i dont fit into the theory..
helen
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