poodlesrule
December 1st, 2010, 05:20 AM
I found these interesting tidbits on the BBC website:
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The study of 75 seven-year-old children found those with shorter ring fingers than their index fingers did better in tests at literacy than maths.
Those with longer ring fingers were better at maths than literacy, said the British Journal of Psychology study.
The UK team said the link was caused by children's exposure to different levels of hormones in the womb.
"Testosterone has been argued to promote development of the areas of the brain which are often associated with spatial and mathematical skills.
"Oestrogen is thought to do the same in the areas of the brain which are often associated with verbal ability.
"Interestingly, these hormones are also thought have a say in the relative lengths of our index and ring fingers."
Children exposed to more testosterone tended to have longer ring fingers, while those exposed to more oestrogen had longer index fingers.
I gathered the above after reading this:
A British Journal of Cancer study found men whose index finger was longer than their ring finger were significantly less likely to develop the disease.
Researchers made the discovery after comparing the hands of 1,500 prostate cancer patients with 3,000 healthy men.
The length of the fingers is fixed before birth and is thought to relate to sex hormone levels in the womb.
Being exposed to less testosterone before birth results in a longer index finger and may protect against prostate cancer later in life, say researchers at the University of Warwick and the Institute of Cancer Research.
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Now, a question to fretters: do musicians typically have more "spacial" skills than "verbal" ones?
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The study of 75 seven-year-old children found those with shorter ring fingers than their index fingers did better in tests at literacy than maths.
Those with longer ring fingers were better at maths than literacy, said the British Journal of Psychology study.
The UK team said the link was caused by children's exposure to different levels of hormones in the womb.
"Testosterone has been argued to promote development of the areas of the brain which are often associated with spatial and mathematical skills.
"Oestrogen is thought to do the same in the areas of the brain which are often associated with verbal ability.
"Interestingly, these hormones are also thought have a say in the relative lengths of our index and ring fingers."
Children exposed to more testosterone tended to have longer ring fingers, while those exposed to more oestrogen had longer index fingers.
I gathered the above after reading this:
A British Journal of Cancer study found men whose index finger was longer than their ring finger were significantly less likely to develop the disease.
Researchers made the discovery after comparing the hands of 1,500 prostate cancer patients with 3,000 healthy men.
The length of the fingers is fixed before birth and is thought to relate to sex hormone levels in the womb.
Being exposed to less testosterone before birth results in a longer index finger and may protect against prostate cancer later in life, say researchers at the University of Warwick and the Institute of Cancer Research.
------------
Now, a question to fretters: do musicians typically have more "spacial" skills than "verbal" ones?