If one of your ears is bigger than the other, it may be a sign you're more likely to be aggressive when you get angry.

So say Ohio State University researchers, who found that the greater the asymmetry between certain body parts -- for example, if one foot, index finger, or ear is bigger than the other -- the more likely a person will show signs of aggression when provoked.

Asymmetrical body parts are believed to be the result of stressors during pregnancy, such as poor health or alcohol and tobacco use by the mother. Stressors like these are thought capable of affecting fetal development in a number of ways.

"Paired body parts are presumably controlled by similar genetic instructions, so if everything goes perfectly you would expect paired body parts to be the same size," study co-author Zeynep Benderlioglu said in a prepared statement.

"But stressors during pregnancy may lead to asymmetrical body parts. The same stressors will also affect development of the central nervous system, which involves impulse control and aggression. So while asymmetry doesn't cause aggression, they both seem to be correlated to similar factors during pregnancy," Benderlioglu said.

The study included 100 college students. After researchers measured their paired body parts for signs of asymmetry, each participant was subjected to situations meant to provoke aggression.

Participants with asymmetrical parts tended more toward aggression in testy situations than those with symmetrical parts, the researchers report in the American Journal of Human Biology.

More information

The National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center has information about youth aggression.

Reference Source 101
August 26, 2004

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