Massachusetts General Hospital

Smaller is Better for Finger Sensitivity

New study shows women tend to have better sense of touch due to smaller finger size

15/Dec/2009

People who have smaller fingers have a finer sense of touch, according to new research in the Dec. 16 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. This finding explains why women tend to have better tactile acuity than men, because women on average have smaller fingers.

"The difference between the sexes appears to be entirely due to the relative size of the person's fingertips," said Ethan Lerner, MD, PhD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, who is unaffiliated with the study.

Link to full Society for Neuroscience release. 

Media Contacts: Sue McGreevey, smcgreevey@partners.org, 617 724-2764