You can tell a lot about people by simply observing their thumbs. Fortunately we aren’t all built the same. It takes all types to make the world. Look around you and see if you can spot some key differences.
Let’s start with your own thumbs. What do you notice first about them?
1. Are they curvy or straight?
2. Do you hold them close to the hand or way out, almost at right angles to the palm?
As you start looking more closely you’ll notice that there are many other subtle differences but let’s start with what’s obvious from afar.
Thumbs are thought to represent one’s conscious will. Our capacity and willingness to change the world around us, manage our circumstances or get things done. They also thought to reveal the manner we go about this. With enthusiasm, boldness and passion or steadiness, determination and perserverence. Are you driven by your mind or your heart?
Are your thumbs curvy or straight?
Some thumbs are straight as a ruler others are significantly curved.
Straight thumbed people are thought to be more logical. They are good at defined outcome activities and like to follow a sequence. Curvy thumbed types are thought to allow their feelings rule over logic. They do things because it feels right and they bring lots of enthusiasm to the task. (1)
Neither type is better nor worse. They just have very different ways of getting things done. Let’s look at the thumbs of a few people and note how smilar or different their thumbs are.
Dr Sylvia Earle is an intrepid marine scientist who has devoted her life to exploring and preserving the ocean depths. Judging by the curvature of her thumbs, she’s perfectly built for inspiring others with her enthusiasm, deep passion and commitment to protecting fragile marine life. Earle is also known as “Her Deepness”. She’s a real force to behold.
“With knowing comes caring. With caring comes hope ” says Dr Sylvia Earle
Watch her films on why the next few years matter more than the next 10 000. Particularly her award winning Ted talk, her discussion with Craig Foster, creator of My Octopus Teacher on the individuality of personality within species and her message of hope for ensuring future generations still get to see Blue Whales, turtles, swordfish and other magnificent sea creatures that we take for granted today.
Curvy versus flexible
People often mix up curvature of the thumb with flexibility. Actually these are two separate variables.
For example, Sylvia Earle sure has curvy thumbs but if you could check the flexibility of her thumb joints (by pressing them between your thumb and index) you would find that they are actually very firm. Dr Earle is certainly no push over. She’s unshakeable and totally driven by her passion for saving the ocean. And thank goodness for that!
Thumb Angle
Notice also the wide angle between her thumb and the rest of her palm. People with wide thumb angles show maximum initiative. they are industrious, and don’t shy from responsibility . This is certainly true for Dr Earle. Decades ago she founded a pioneering company to design and build small submarines so that she and other marine scientists could find out more about deep sea environments. She has led more than a hundred expeditions, including the first team of women aquanauts in 1970. Now in her 80’s, she is still passionately engaged, as president of Mission Blue, a foundation for ocean conservation. She inspires us with her enthusiasm, and bold passion (curvy thumbs) and she’s also able to initiate many projects and delegate tasks (wide CEO thumb angle).
Thumb angles can vary over the years or, even moment to moment, as your mood or determination changes. The angle you hold your thumbs is one thing that you can consciously change over time.
Let’s compare Sylvia Earle’s thumbs to those of Professor James Hollis below. Prof Hollis is a Jungian psychologist, university lecturer and author of seventeen books.
Straight thumbs
Like Sylvia Earle, Hollis also has a very wide thumb angle, but notice how straight his thumbs are compared to Dr Earle’s. Apparently logic and reason govern his decisions more than emotion, even though his work is in a more introspective field, studying the inner tides of the human psyche rather than planetary or oceanic tides. Actually Hollis has what’s called a “Know it all” thumb. This type of thumb combines three separate elements: It’s straight. It’s at a wide angle, and, most importantly, the middle zone of the thumb is large, indicating enhanced clarity and discernment. Perfect qualities for an insightful therapist! With his Know it all thumb, no wonder he’s written 17 books to help others find their way in the world. (Topics such as finding meaning in the second half of life , the wounding and healing of men, understanding our darker selves, resilience in times of change and a lot more.
Are your thumbs engaged or disengaged?
This is probably the most important thing to notice about your thumbs. Some thumbs look disengaged. Like a car that’s been parked on the sidewalk, right up against a building or abandoned. These thumbs hang limply held close in or even leaning against the hand. Other thumbs look more dynamic. There’s clearly someone behind the steering wheel, driving around, going wherever they want to go. Not all “in thumbs” are “parked”. They may be more dynamic than you realise, and just held in temporarily, due to feeling cautious for example.
How about your thumbs? Are they “parked” or engaged?
The good news about a “parked” thumb is you can change this. You can consciously engage your thumbs, like turning on the ignition key in your car.
How?
Thumb rehabilitation
Try to give a thumbs up signal. Notice that you can’t do this unless you raise your thumb away from your fingers.
Deciding, yes or no.Thumbs up or thumbs down (rather than not deciding) is one way to re-engage your thumbs.
Another way to re-inhabit your thumbs by consciously breathing more life into them.
Here’s how. Hold your hands palm up in front of you. Now breathe into your thumbs. A belly breath is best rather than upper chest. As you breathe in, move your thumb out away from the other fingers as far as you can. Then relax and let go as you breathe out, and allow your thumbs to go back in to the side of your hands again. Repeat this whenever you notice your hands. Breathe into your belly and then chest and move your thumbs outward as far as you can. Then relax and as the air leaves your lungs slowly bring your thumbs in ready for the next in breath, breathing new life into your thumbs as they consciously move further out. Smile to yourself as you do this wonderful exercise in self empowerment.
Too scared to breathe?
Perhaps our thumb angles are somehow related to our ability to use our diaphragms, the parashute shaped muscle just under our lungs that’s connected to the bottom of our rib cage. This is the main muscle that helps us breathe in and out more effectively. But many of us don’t use this muscle at all. Some of us incorrectly use our shoulders and upper body muscles to breathe because the diaphram gets compromised due to fear or past trauma. Like the thumb, it helps to remember that your diaphragm is still there but perhaps currently “parked”, like your car or your thumb. Practice moving your diaphragm in and out as you breathe and move your thumbs at the same time. If you are currently in a dangerous situation, start with very tiny sips hardly noticable, breathing into the space around your heart and feel the space there grow. You can decide for yourself when it feels safe enough to use your diaphram ( breathing into your belly). If it does, put your hand just below your breastplate and breathe in and out ever so slightly into your belly and also move your thumbs in and out. You can do this exercise in the pitchdark if you don’t wish to be observed. Your diaphram really is a parashute. An secret escape shute to a different reality through self empowerment.
Here’s some more breathwork training by another curvy thumbed enthusiast – Wim Hof, “the Iceman”.
Note how Wim’s thumbs are curvy like Sylvia Earle’s. Wim has inspired millions of people to recover from anxiety and depression by resetting their nervous systems through his now tried and tested breathing techniques and daily cold showers. Wim Hof is certainly law unto himself as a multi-time world record holder for cold water submersion. Says actor Hugh Jackman, “He’s crazy… and it just makes you realize, just a little bit of crazy every day is good. It’s good for the soul.”
For an alternative anti-stress breathing technique also experiment with the <a href=”” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>4-7-8 method</a>, a yoga technique precribed by Dr Andrew Weil MD.
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Photo credits
Images by Luke Peterson, Brayan Espitia and Fethi Bouhaouchine on unsplash.com
Reference Notes
p. 571 Handanalysis 101 by Richard Unger