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Unlike fortune-telling techniques, palmistry (or palm reading) has a potential connection with reality. Are there any studies that relate any personality traits to shapes of the hand, or lines?

Larian LeQuella
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David Thornley
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  • Whilst I am a skeptic about all established points of view. I am inclined to think that there is some relevance in palmistry. which includes observing the palm as a whole i.e. including dimensions of the hand as related to lengths of fingers etc. There are many relevant studies of people with similar hands, having similar characteristics. For instance: if a new born child has a short 'head line' or simian line, it is likely that,the child has "brain damage'. I learnt this at medical school. –  Feb 10 '14 at 16:08
  • It's tempting to answer 'no' and leave it at that. – Owen C. Jones Feb 12 '14 at 12:36

2 Answers2

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In men the ratio between the length of the second and forth finger are thought to be an indication for the amount of prenatal testosterone. It allows for some inferences on personality traits that are associated with masculinity such as aggression.

There are a few reports of doctors identifying some specific brain tumors via handshakes.

White spots on fingernails can be a sign of a possible Zinc Deficiency.

Hand grip strength seems to be a predictor for lifespan.

Most of what's commonly done under the label of palmistry however doesn't seem to be backed by research.

Christian
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    Could you extract relevant passage from those links. It would make browsing your answer a more enjoyable experience. – Borror0 Mar 11 '11 at 14:54
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    Further links (whose veracity I cannot vouch for): [SAT scores](http://www.livescience.com/7290-finger-length-predicts-sat-performance.html), [aggression](http://www.livescience.com/193-finger-length-predicts-aggression-men.html), [penis size](http://preventdisease.com/news/articles/index_finger_length_predicts_penis_size.shtml), [Boys with Longer Ring Fingers are Better at Math](http://science.slashdot.org/story/07/06/02/1339206/Boys-with-Longer-Ring-Fingers-are-Better-at-Math). – ShreevatsaR Apr 17 '11 at 18:37
  • Why only in men? Women have testosterone as well – Yamikuronue Jan 17 '12 at 14:53
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There is no relation between palmistry and reality. Palmistry is generally a form of cold reading. Much like phrenology, palmistry is a discredited practice.

Larian LeQuella
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