Index finger holds clue to a man's penile length

Experts have long debated whether the size of men’s nose, hands, or feet is a reliable indicator of his masculine length.

Some of those who relate penis size to a visible body part believe penile length is directly linked to a man’s shoe size, while others relate the measurement of a man’s hand- from wrist to fingertips- to it.

Study details
But researchers in South Korea have found what may be a more reliable indicator to a man's size...down there.

Researchers at Gachon University in Incheon, South Korea believe they've finally been able to crack the code to predict the size of men’s penis, and that is length of the fingers.

According to them, the longer a man's ring finger when compared with his index finger, the longer his penis is.

Study details
The research team, headed by urologist Dr. Tae Beom Kim from Gachon University in Incheon, Korea, studied 144 men over the age of 20 who were getting urological surgery for conditions unrelated to penis length.

The team measured the fingers and penises -- both stretched-out as much as possible and flaccid -- of the participants who were anesthetized before undergoing urological surgery.

Findings
After measuring pre-and post-surgery lengths of fingers and penises, the researchers found that lower ratio, known as the digit ratio, was associated with longer stretched penile length.

The measurement results showed the average distance between the second and fourth finger was 0.38 inches, and ranged from 0.35 to 0.44 inches.

"According to our data...the shorter index finger than ring finger you have, the longer stretched penile length you have," said lead researcher Dr. Kim.

"Based on this evidence, we suggest that digit ratio can predict adult penile size, and that the effects of prenatal testosterone may in part explain the differences in adult penile length," the researchers reported Monday in the Asian Journal of Andrology.

Digit ratio may help experts for future developments
Experts believe the latest findings may offer researchers insights beyond the existing cocktail conversation.

"Over the past decade, the correlation of digit ratio with sexual behavior and other aspects of sexual biology has been well-documented and there is a growing list of traits with links to digit ratio, although the associations are less well established," writes Denise Brooks McQuade, of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., in an editorial that accompanies the study.

"Thus 'hotness' aside, the value of digit ratio research for the biomedical scientist or clinician may come from the predictive abilities and risk-assessment qualities of the measurement," writes McQuade.