This Is How Our Hands Communicate.

There are many ways people pass information to others, some methods are noticable, others are more subtle — like a wife signaling her husband in a crowded room “it’s time to go”.
The meaning associated with messages we send and receive is limited to our geographical understanding and societal lifestyle. It is not uncommon for one word to mean different things across different cultures.
Verbal communication, our most observed form of communicating is often the default form when precision is important, this is how we take attention — people care about what is said.
Non verbal communication, we tend to use when we want to be give attention — people remember what isn’t said. Over the long term, our minds mostly remember how we felt from a treatment but rarely remember the verbatim sentence used to address us.
While many words could be used to convey a simple message, I’m discovering an additional layer to body language, subtle ways we communicate with our hands, without saying a word.

The human eyes and hands are the most used body parts.
It is almost impossible to count how many tasks the human hands carry out on any given day. From helping us get out of bed in the morning, to helping us find the light switch in a dark room, we are used to moving our hands in many ways without much of a thought. We use our hands for personal care, we work with our hands, we drive, carry babies, type on a computer and scroll through a phone. In additional to our hands holding one of our senses, it also serves as a means from which we communicate, often times without much thought.

For many decades, even today, the five fingers have been utilized as a speaking tool to communicate clearly without saying a word. We feel differently about each of our five fingers. Unknowing to most people, each of us have an unspoken relationship with each finger on our hands. In fact, it is not uncommon for some people to have a favorite finger. The way we feel about our fingers is not really based on which hand its on (left hand vs right hand) but instead based on the position of the finger. We use our fingers for different things. One of the many advantageous distinction between humans and jungle animals is our thumb, and through the course of existence, we’ve come to have specific uses for each finger. In fact, the meaning of certain finger gestures is so commonly understood across so many world cultures that the meaning of the gesture does not have to be explained. Let’s explore the meanings associated with our fingers.

The Thumb:
In a made up experiment to rate a new product, participants were not allowed to verbally express their approval or rejection rating of the new product. They had to only use their fingers to demonstrate their opinion.
The thumb, our most valuable finger, becomes the go-to finger for a Yes/No answer. It’s easy to imagine you would give a “thumbs up” if you liked it and a “thumbs down” if there’s a terrible after taste. These gestures do not have to be further explained to be understood.
Optimistic people (and sometimes sarcastic intellectuals) are more likely to give a “thumbs up” more often than others. The relationship of the average person to their thumb is that of unmistaken decision making.
The Thumb could be used to communicate: Approval, Increase, Spike, Go Ahead, Good Job, Confirmation, Terrible Job, Dislike, Nose Dive.

Pointing Finger:
In an attempt to have order in a classroom, the first grade students were instructed to raise a finger before speaking or answering questions.
While our young knows to use the pointing finger to identify themselves from a crowd of students, their adult counterparts were also equipped with multiple ways to communicate using this finger.
We’ve come to associate the pointing finger as the finger of preference to
draw attention to ourselves when raised up and also to be specific
when aggressively identifying who or where our communication is intended for — unmistaken identification.
The Pointing Finger could be used to communicate: Warning, Intolerance, Idea, Direction, “Come Here”, “Get Back”, Silence.

Middle Finger:
This is the second most popular finger based on its location and uniqueness (height) but more significantly, based on its almost universal expressive meaning. This is probably mankind’s most proud non verbal invention. It holds the most unmistaken communication.
There’s a proven fact about road rage. Drivers could accurately communicate outside the laws of speed and safety, without having to raise their voice. Though often times, raising their voice is thought of as how to correctly display their road rage. However, one finger is capable of putting all the emotions into one message, deliver the message at no cost to the sender and guarantee the receiver would read the message. The Middle Finger. We use this finger to communicate: Ultimate displeasure.

Ring Finger:
For as long as everyone alive today can remember, people have practiced some form of matrimony. And, the most obvious way to display being betrothed to another is by wearing a ring on the fourth finger. This is the most popular finger because of its significance with the continuation of existence.
Most people fear public embarrassment more than they fear death. As social beings, being accepted by the pack is just as important as having shelter.
And, one of the first things the pack teaches a single man on how to avoid humiliation when approaching a lady is to pay attention to the ring finger.
The Ring Finger could be used to communicate: Taken, Committed, Not Looking, Rich, Stylish, Unmarried, Status.

Pinky Finger:
This finger is often (unknowingly) regarded as the last born of the siblings. Either because of its location, size, height and overall usefulness, people have come to not be overly bothered with the pinky finger, and might not even miss it as much as they would a pointing finger.
In an attempt to display the feminine’s ability to telepathically communicate with one another, a story was told about a young lady.
Walking into a coffee shop with her newly met partner, the young lady walks into an old friend who used to be his previous lover. After her friend expressed her surprise, her friend raised her pinky finger to the young lady, then left. Shortly after, the two new love birds were no longer a couple.
Just like the middle finger, an intended communication was effectively delivered and understood (by the girlfriends) through the pinky finger.
The Pinky Finger could be used to communicate: Comparison, Unsatisfactory, Personality, Not enough, Lazy, Limited Use.

We are gifted with the ability to talk, to listen, to know, to share, to remember. Those who successfully pass information (receiver understanding the sender’s intended meaning) often do so with less words, and more gesture.
The wise would say, with a lot of words, the meaning is lost to all. With our fingers, we display our expertise or novice based on just how we use them, regardless of the words we use to defend them.
In addition to communicating our opinions regarding a subject, we can also associate the personalities of each finger with describing a person.
Thumb: Useful.
Pointing Finger: Stern.
Middle Finger: Unpleasant.
Ring Finger: Dedicated.
Pinky Finger: Less Than.

Next time, the bartender slips you their phone number, you know which finger to send their way.

With Love,

Famous Steve.