London, Jan 13 (ANI): Stockbrokers who have long ring fingers are more successful than their counterparts, according to a new study.
In a study of highly pressured London traders, the Cambridge University scientists found that people who had long ring fingers in relation to their index fingers made far greater profits than their counterparts.
The trait - which is linked to higher exposure to testosterone in the womb - is thought to be associated with attributes such as confidence, risk-taking ability, extra vigilance and quick reactions.
The study suggests that such qualities could provide traders making snap decisions on high-risk deals with a competitive edge.
The study, led by Dr John Coates, himself a former Wall Street broker, involved 44 men, who worked on a City of London trading floor that specialised in "high frequency" business, buying and selling securities worth billions but holding their positions for only minutes or even seconds.
The researchers compared the profits of the traders over a period of 20 months with their finger-length.
They found that second digit (index finger) to fourth digit (ring finger) ratio predicted a trader's long-term profitability as much as the number of years he remained in the business.
The study found that traders with long ring fingers made up to 11 times the earnings of their counterparts. On average they made six times as much, and the length of their ring finger was as influential as their experience.
Coates said that the findings show that success on the financial markets is influenced by biology as much as mental ability and experience.
"We were surprised to find that exposure to hormones in the womb had such a strong influence on future trading performance," the Telegraph quoted him, as saying.
"But we should not conclude from this that only people with long ring fingers should be employed in the stockmarket," he added.
The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (ANI)
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