How Do You Spot A Stone-Cold Psychopath? New Research Has This To Say

Researchers in Canada examined the length of the fingers of participants with clinically recognised psychiatric disorders to see if psychopathy is "biologically rooted." Here's what they found.

Where was the study published?

People with index fingers shorter than their ring fingers are more likely to develop a psychological condition | Image: Canva

The researchers discovered that those with index fingers shorter than their ring fingers are more likely to develop a psychological condition. The study's findings have now been published in the February edition of The Journal of Psychiatric Research.

The team began by noticing that those with a lower 2D:4D ratio — i.e., a shorter index finger and a longer ring finger — are already known to be more likely to exhibit "Dark Triad" features and aggressive behaviour.?

What did the study further reveal?

The paper noted that those with a high score on the "Dark Triad" scale "also scored high on mental toughness and sports performance | Image: YouTube Screengrab

"Dark Triad" is characterized by "highly socially discouraged attitudes, namely Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy."

The paper noted that those with a high score on the "Dark Triad" scale "also scored high on mental toughness and sports performance, but also on various types of negative psychosocial and psychological outcomes, including intolerance of uncertainty, anxiety sensitivity callous effect, and interpersonal manipulation."?

How many people participated in the study?

The researchers recruited 80 volunteers for the scientific study: 44 with psychiatric disorders and 36 healthy people who had no recognized mental illnesses.An examination of their hands revealed that "compared to healthy controls, individuals with a clinically diagnosed psychiatric issue were more likely to have a shorter index finger and a longer ring finger."

The study discovered that people with a clinically diagnosed psychiatric condition had a shorter index finger and a longer ring finger than healthy controls.The study also found that lower "2D:4D-ratios were associated with higher 'Dark Triad' traits."However, the study's chief scientist, Serge Brand, warns those with shortened index fingers not to worry, as this is fairly common.?

How is the ratio associated with the human body?

The study found that lower "2D:4D-ratios were associated with higher 'Dark Triad' traits" | Image: Canva

According to Brand, a lower 2D:4D ratio is associated with higher prenatal testosterone and lower estrogen exposure during the first trimester of the embryonic stage.?

"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," Brand said in a statement.?

However, he went on to say: "It is important to understand that the finger lengths-ratio as a proxy of a specific exposure to prenatal sex steroids should not be understood as a person's irrevocable fate."??

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