Are you a Type A personality—aggressive, athletic, intense? Check the length of your index finger and compare it to your ring finger. According to a new study, if your index finger is markedly shorter than your ring finger, you’re more likely to be a Type A.

 

Type A people tend to be more successful in life than their more timid counterparts, but they’re also more susceptible to stress-related illnesses, certain cancers, and ADD.

 

Researchers don’t know why the link exists, but it appears that finger length is determined in the womb and may have to do with the balance of estrogen and testosterone in the body of the pregnant woman.

 

To get an accurate measurement: Use the centimeter side of the ruler. Measure from the center of the crease where the finger meets the palm to the center of the tip of the finger (not counting the fingernail).

 

Now divide the figure you got for the length of the index finger by the length of the ring finger. Precision counts.

 

In most women, the two fingers will be very close to equal in length—in other words, the ratio will be 1.0. In men, the ratio you get from the above calculation is likely to be about .98. That important ratio can have significant health impacts.

 

Men with a ratio of more than 1.0 – May have a lower rate of prostate cancer.

 

Women with a ratio of less than .97 – May have an athletic edge.

 

Men and women with a ratio of .93 or lower – May be a Type A personality. The most successful stock and bond traders had an average ratio of .93.

 

There is a difference in those ratios between the right hand and the left in many individuals, but the significance of this has not yet been determined.