What’s Up with the Index Finger Touching Pinky Finger TikTok Challenge?
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Are you somebody who loves TikTok and have come across this new trend?
Are you now just seeing them on other social media or perhaps even YouTube?
If you do not know what I am talking about, here is a quick video of me trying it out. ↓↓
That is the index finger touching pinky finger TikTok challenge. You just try to make the index finger independently touch their pinky finger.
Summary
What is happening with this trend?
Do not worry. This trend is entirely harmless.
This challenge asks the participants to touch their index finger to their pinky finger.
That is it. Nothing more.
Apparently, the audio claims that only 1% of people can do this.
So, what is your problem, Phung?
Well, I have problems with people trying to spread misinformation.
I literally checked my books, references, and research studies to find where they got the “only 1%” from.
The closest figure I could find is actually done with a small Hindi population. The researchers concluded that around 33% of people have this ability[1].
So much more than just 1%? (⓿_⓿) Maybe we are not that special after all.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
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How do you let the index finger touching pinky finger?
With this question, let us jump into human anatomy for a bit.
Here are two quick pictures of your hand muscles, provided to us thanks to @3D4Medical.
The two joints I am highlighting here are the metacarpophalangeal joints (MCPs) and, more importantly, the proximal interphalangeal joints (PIPs). These two joints at each finger make you ball up the palms. In this TikTok challenge, you will not use them, so your fingers’ ability to touch each other is a little harder.
Next up are the muscles. They are what move your fingers. Here are intrinsic muscles of the hand, meaning they perform more delicate movements such as playing an instrument or writing[2]. It seems that this TikTok challenge only uses these intrinsic muscles since you are only moving two fingers.
As you can see from the two pictures, your hand has complicated tendons and interconnected muscles. When you try to isolate them and do tiny movements, it is very hard, as in the index finger touching pinky finger challenge.
What’s Your Hidden Potential?
What is your conclusion to this TikTok Challenge?
Obviously, as a serial doubter, I do not think that the statistics in the video are right. Until I can find a peer-reviewed research study with a figure, I will keep holding my position.
That said, this ability for your index finger touching pinky finger is quite unique to only a tiny amount of people. It is all about training for your flexibility.
Flexibility is you try to improve the range of motion or how bendy your joints are. It is terrific to keep up with a flexible routine every day if possible.
If you are part of the minority who have this not so rare ability, do not worry. It means that you can perform more delicate functions a little better, such as writing or playing an instrument. Besides this perk, there is no downside[3].
This index finger touching pinky finger challenge is a funny thing to do. You should try it out with your friends and family. But do not take the statistics too seriously. Do you feel the same?
If this article about the index finger touching pinky finger made you wonder about an exercise routine? Let’s figure out which type of exercise works best for you (^人^)
