Your marathon medal is a sneaky seduction tool: Women are primitively attracted to men who run long distances, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge.
In the study, researchers measured marathon runners’ “2D:4D digit ratio,” a comparison of the length of your ring finger with your index finger. (It’s the same metric that tells you What Your Hand Says about Your Penis.)
The researchers found that runners with the most masculine digit ratios—meaning their ring fingers were much longer than their index fingers—finished their races an average of 24 minutes and 33 seconds faster than those with the least masculine ratios.
Wait, could your fingers really make you faster? According to researchers, if you have an especially long ring finger, it means that you received higher levels of prenatal testosterone.
Having extra testosterone before you’re born can give you evolutionary advantages like a stronger sex drive, higher sperm count, and greater cardiovascular efficiency, researchers say.
So guys with all that pre-birth T are more prone to reproductive success and tend to be better endurance runners—an important attribute for an evolutionary skill called persistence hunting. That could be one of the main reasons women have historically viewed marathon runners as desirable partners, says lead study author Danny Longman, Ph.D.
(Evolution can also explain The Science of Why You’re an Ass Man.)
Back in caveman days, the ability to track and outwit prey required traits of athleticism and intelligence, and using those skills to provide food for your family—and, in some societies, the entire community—showed generosity. So it’s no wonder that a cavewoman would want to snag a runner.
Want to show her you can outrun a wildebeest—or at least shave a couple minutes off your next 10K? Don’t count on your ring finger to sprout a few more centimeters. “Factors such as lifestyle, motivation, diet and training are far more influential to performance than fetal testosterone exposure,” says Longman.
Start by stealing these 12 Habits of Highly Motivated Runners.
