Forget witty chat-up lines and splashing on the aftershave.

It appears the secret of a man’s attractiveness to the opposite sex lies in his hands.

Men whose ring fingers are longer than their index fingers are seen as better bets by women, a study found. By contrast those seen as wimpier sorts will have longer index fingers.

It is thought that exposure to high levels of testosterone in the womb has a long-lasting effect on finger-length – and on looks.

The study is the latest in a long line to link the shape of man’s hands with his path in life.

British, French and Swiss researchers photographed 49 young men and measured the length of their ring and index fingers.

They also recorded their voices and took swabs to capture general odour. They then showed a group of women the photos and asked them to rate the men’s looks.

Those whose ring fingers were longer than their index fingers were more likely to win the women’s approval. They were seen as good prospects for both a fling and a long-term relationship.

However, they scored no more highly than the other men in terms of having a sexy voice or ‘a(chǎn)ttractive’ body odour, the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society reports.

Stirling University researcher Craig Roberts said exposure to testosterone in the womb likely affects facial structure as well as finger length. Having a long ring finger confers a host of other benefits. For instance, scientists believe the longer a man’s ring finger is compared to his index finger, the richer he is likely to be.

They claim he is also likely to be a promiscuous, extroverted go-getter with strong muscles and has a greater likelihood of playing a musical instrument.

Unfortunately such men also have a higher chance of ending up in prison, being murdered or going mad.

(Read by Nelly Min. Nelly Min is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)

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(Agencies)