KOCHI: If you are told that you carry your personality on your fingertips, it may be a bit difficult for you to digest. However, it is true. The ridges and swirls on your fingers tell a story about you. Encrypted in them are your personality traits, the physical and mental issues you might encounter and even the job that you would find comfortable in. The science that makes decoding this information possible is called Dermatoglyphics.
“It is the scientific study of fingerprints, lines, mounts and shapes of hands,” said Dr Jesna Sivasankar, psychologist and DMIT analyst. According to her, fingerprint identification has been extensively studied for long. “Indians have been the pioneers in using this knowledge. Why do you think your irises were scanned and the fingerprints taken while registering for your Aadhaar card? It is because they are unique. The pattern in the irises and the fingerprints of every person is different,” she said.
“The analysis of fingerprints is a wonderful science which provides insight into the personality of individuals – both hidden as well as expressed,” she added. According to her, the epidermal ridges of the Dermatoglyphics patterns of fingers are formed between the 11th and 24th weeks of gestation along with the development of the foetus’ brain. “Since skin and brain develop from the same ectoderm, a number of studies have pointed out that the epidermal ridges of the dermatoglyphic patterns remain unaltered throughout a person’s life,” said Jesna.
Jesna said, “Just like fingerprint analysis is done for forensic purposes, it can be used in psychology. In India, it is mainly used to help youngsters choose their career. However, it has other uses too.” According to her, Dermatoglyphics Multiple Intelligence Test (DMIT) is not new to India. “Over the years various companies have started using the test for intellectual analysis of the individual. The fingerprints are taken and reports generated. These reports highlight the various dimensions and measure the innate potential with which the individual is born,” she said.
By profiling a person, we can help identifying his/her core strengths, she said. “Once the person identifies their core strength, they will be able to take a path which makes their life worth living. For example, they will be able to choose a career that gives them joy instead of one, which they were pushed into,” she said.
“Realising the infinite potential this system has, we at Cognitive Intellect Private Limited, decided to conduct pan-India research to statistically analyse and study the scientific basis of DMIT, said Jesna. “Through MIDASIntellect, we evaluated over 50,000 cases and an interpretative analysis was done by a team of seven psychologists,” she added.
According to Jesna, having invested a lot of manhours in research, those at MIDASIntellect have concluded that though DMIT is a science, it still needs to be researched further with more variables. “We have observed that different companies in India are providing a different format of reports and analysis.
However, the general public needs to be cautioned about what DMIT is and isn’t?” she said.