--- title: What Your Fingers Say About You description: It’s not all about the palm. Kay Packard, the director of the American Academy of Hand Analysis, shares how to dial into the subtleties of your digits canonical: https://time.com/3052826/what-your-fingers-say-about-you/ author: Real Simple article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-09-08T14:31:03.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:55:44.371Z og:title: What Your Fingers Say About You og:description: It’s not all about the palm. og:url: https://time.com/3052826/what-your-fingers-say-about-you/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf88c1415d550d950/69869da135ba6f9272c0337c/hand-illo_300.jpg?branch=production&width=300&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 300 og:image:height: 169 og:image:alt: Samantha Hahn og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: What Your Fingers Say About You twitter:description: It’s not all about the palm. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf88c1415d550d950/69869da135ba6f9272c0337c/hand-illo_300.jpg?branch=production&width=300&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # What Your Fingers Say About You > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=b5e35463-fb38-4676-9bed-d717b07d003b&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) by [Real Simple](https://time.com/author/real-simple/) ## Real Simple Sep 8, 2014 2:31 PM UTC  Samantha Hahn by [Real Simple](https://time.com/author/real-simple/) ## Real Simple Sep 8, 2014 2:31 PM UTC _This post originally appeared on_ [_RealSimple.com_](http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/finger-reading-00100000109218/index.html)_._ ### Does Each Finger Carry Its Own Meaning? Yes. Just as with the palm, the fingers on your dominant hand typically showcase your work and public personality, while the fingers on your other hand relate to your behavior at home and in close relationships. Every person has some strong fingers and some weak ones. The stronger a particular finger, the more likely you are to exemplify its personality traits. Here are the associated characteristics for each digit: **Thumb:** Drive to succeed. **Index finger:** Power, authority, vision, and influence. **Middle finger:** Accountability, efficiency, security, growth, and wisdom. **Ring finger:** Creativity, self-expression, and a yearning to be in the spotlight. **Pinkie:** Communication style. ([MORE: How to Improve Memory](//www.realsimple.com/health/mind-mood/memory/how-to-improve-memory-00100000083519/index.html?xid=time-rs-fingers-072214)) ### How Can You Tell Which Fingers Are Strong and Which Are Weak? Weak digits are bent, crooked, leaning toward another finger, bending forward, or have areas that are damaged in some way. If your finger stands up straight and tall, it’s strong. ### What Does the Shape of the Fingertips Reveal? **Round fingertips:** You desire harmony and avoid disapproval. **Square or flat fingertips:** You strive for precision and loathe vagueness. **Spatulate fingertips (broad and flared)**: You love originality and despise routine. **Pointed fingertips:** You like to put off practical affairs in favor of pursuing the unusual and the mystical. ### Can You Learn Anything From the Spaces Between Your Fingers? Yes. Rest your hands naturally on a flat surface, or hold them up comfortably up in the air. If your fingers are widely spread apart, then you’re probably independent and open to new experiences. If your fingers are held tightly together, you may be cautious, guarded, and self-contained. If your middle and ring fingers are spread apart, you’re not easily influenced by popular opinion. If those two fingers are close together, you tend to bend to societal expectations and rules. Look at the space between your pinkie and ring finger, too. If it’s extremely wide, that’s a sign that you’re dodging important conversations and that your relationships at home or at work could be suffering as a result. If the pinkie and ring finger are an average space apart (compare them to friends’ hands for a gauge), that means you’re an independent thinker. ([MORE: Surprising Cleaning New Uses for Old Things](http://www.realsimple.com/new-uses-for-old-things/new-uses-cleaning/baking-soda-as-tub-scrubber-00000000043742/index.html)) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3052826/what-your-fingers-say-about-you/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3052826/what-your-fingers-say-about-you/"},"headline":"What Your Fingers Say About You","datePublished":"2014-09-08T14:31:03.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:55:44.371Z","description":"It’s not all about the palm. 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