Is your man a cheap date? 

To find out, don’t ask him his job or look in his wallet. Simply ask to see his hand.

For, the answer may be hidden in the length of his fingers, as a new study reveals the ratio of a man's fingers determines whether or not he’ll pay for dinner.

If a man’s index or second finger is shorter than his ring finger, he’s more likely to spend money to impress women.

It means he’s more likely to shower the object of his affections with flowers, chocolates and pay for dinner.

He’s also more likely to go to the gym, wear stylish clothes and wear aftershave.

In addition he may tend to make more effort to go out to meet women, and his sex drive may be higher.

Scientists said this is because exposure to the hormones testosterone and oestrogen in the womb shape the length of our fingers.

The shorter the index finger is in relation to the ring finger, the higher the levels of testosterone the person has been subjected to, previous studies have shown.

Short index fingers and longer ring fingers are called masculinised fingers, and men showing this pattern tend to be more aggressive and athletic.

Conversely, having a longer index finger than ring finger is a sign of being exposed to oestrogen in the womb, and is called ‘feminised fingers’.

As part of the new research, psychologists wanted to know if finger length could predict someone’s dating personality.

They conducted two studies with undergraduate students.

The findings revealed that men with masculinised fingers were more likely to make greater efforts to impress their girlfriend or potential partner.

‘To attract women, men with masculinised fingers are more likely to buy dinners for women at nice restaurants, wear special cologne, wear stylish clothes, go to the gym, going out to meet women, and show off expensive items to women,' Dr Marcelo Nepomuceno, of Montreal University, said in the study.

They were also more likely to buy chocolates and flowers.

Interestingly, these results were strongest among men who are confident in their abilities to attract women.

To attract women, men with masculinised fingers are more likely to buy dinners for women at nice restaurants, wear special cologne, wear stylish clothes, go to the gym, going out to meet women, and show off expensive items

Dr Marcelo Nepomuceno, of Montreal University

‘Therefore, prenatal testosterone drives men to put more time and energy into buying products and services in order to impress women,’ the researchers concluded.

However, they found testosterone did not encourage women to carry out similar actions.

Rather, they discovered that women with feminised fingers are more likely to make greater efforts to impress a love interest.

They are more likely to wear make-up, wear stylish clothes, use a special perfume, go out to meet men, wear a necklace, use creams and oils, and wear jewellery and earrings.

Women with feminised fingers are more likely to give romantic gifts to potential boyfriends, they added.

‘Thus, prenatal oestrogen drives women to spend more time and energy towards buying products and services in order to impress men,’ the researchers said.

They concluded that prenatal exposure to testosterone in men is associated with sex drive, while oestrogen in women is associated with sex drive, driving each sex to impress the other with certain behaviours.

The research was published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology.