London - Want to know whether your potential suitor will pay for dinner before you accept his offer of a date?
Check out his fingers.
The length of a man’s digits can predict his dating behaviour, according to research.
Men with “masculinised fingers” – those with a short index finger in comparison to their ring finger – are more likely to make greater efforts towards impressing someone they are romantically interested in, the study found.
They are more likely to give romantic gifts like flowers and chocolates to their love interest, and buy them dinners in nice restaurants. They are also more likely to take care of their appearance - wearing stylish clothes, and applying expensive aftershave for their date.
They tend to work out in the gym “to be more attractive”, and will “show off expensive items to women” during a date, according to the study, led by Montreal University’s business school, HEC Montreal.
Previous research has found that the ratio of our fingers is linked to the amount of the “male” hormone testosterone that we are exposed to when we are developing in the womb.
So the shorter the index finger to the ring finger, the greater the testosterone exposure.
“Therefore, prenatal testosterone drives men to put more time and energy into buying products and services in order to impress women,” said lead author of the study, Dr Marcelo Nepomuceno.
The study of 1 000 people, which will be published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, also found that women with highly feminised fingers – ie a longer index finger to ring finger – were more likely to make a greater effort to attract potential boyfriends.
“Women with feminised fingers are more likely to wear make-up, wear stylish clothes, use a special perfume, and wear jewellery to attract potential boyfriends,” said Dr Nepomuceno.
“We also found that women with feminised fingers were more likely to give romantic gifts to romantic partners.”
Feminised hands signal high exposure to the ‘female’ hormone oestrogen in the womb, said Dr Nepomuceno.
He added: “Past research has shown that prenatal testosterone has been associated with sex drive in men, whereas prenatal oestrogen has been associated with sex drive in women.
“Therefore, it is likely that prenatal testosterone increases sex drive in men, which in turn leads to putting greater efforts in towards impressing women. ‘In women, because prenatal oestrogen seems to increase sex drive, women exposed to high levels of prenatal oestrogen are more likely to put energy into impressing men.
“So next time you meet someone new at a bar or accept that date invitation, take a gander at his or her finger lengths!”
Daily Mail