JUST DON’T DRINK –
Jan. 16, 2024 – From The Joker to Patrick Bateman, psychopaths have featured in many famous blockbuster hits throughout the years.
Now, scientists have revealed an easy way to identify a psychopath in the real world – and it’s all down to their hands. A study has found that people who have a longer ring finger than index finger are more likely to have psychopathic tendencies.
Researchers from the Centre de Recherche Charles-Le Moyne in Quebec say the findings suggest that psychopathy may be ‘biologically rooted’.
Writing in their study, the researchers said: ‘While individuals with such behaviors are socially highly problematic and incur issues, such behavior might be biologically rooted and understood as a fast life history strategy.’
Previous studies have shown that finger length is influenced by the amount of testosterone and oestrogen a foetus is exposed to in the womb.
Higher testosterone causes a lower 2D:4D ratio, while lower testosterone causes a higher 2D:4D ratio.
Serge Brand, lead researcher on the paper, told psychology news website PsyPost: ‘The more an adult participant had signs of psychopathology, the more it appeared that this adult has been exposed to higher testosterone concentrations and lower estrogen concentrations during the prenatal period of life.’
