Anyway, back in those days, when the cave men had no idea as to what a ruler was, they used their bodies as tools of measurement instead. Yeah, you got that right, our body is actually a measuring "stick" to pretty much everything.
And it pretty much still is. Don't believe me? Well then, do you remember whenever your mum brought you out for shopping and you wanted to try on this pants but there wasn't any changing room around? What did your mum ask you to do?
I bet she asked you to put it around your neck.
It is said that the circumference of your neck is about the circumference of your waist. But these days, that trick doesn't work anymore because no one really wear pants on the waist. And even if I were to have something worn on the waist, the measurement would still be inaccurate, because my booty ain't gonna' fit in there!
Other than the neck-waist measurement, there are many more types of measurement one(if you prefer these ancient measurements to the high tech ones) could get from your body.
Let's start with the obvious one, the foot. In case you didn't already know, a foot long is 12 inches, which is also 30cm. But if your feet isn't 30cm, and you really want a foot long measurement, go get the foot long sandwich at Subway.
Next.
The measurement from one's elbow to fingertip is called a Cubit. It derives from the Latin word Cubitum. And depending on who's forearm that was used back then, the Cubit varied from 18 to 22 inches.
And did you know that the measurement from your elbow to your wrist is about equivalent to your feet? So the next time you head to a shoe shop and your feet is pretty stinky, just use your forearm as a reference. Hahah.
Next.
The rule of the Thumb. It pretty much was created by Carpenters who used their thumbs for measurement.
Back then, there was even a law that permitted husbands to beating their wives with anything "no larger in circumference than his thumb".
Just so you know, the widths of the thumb is approximately an inch wide.
Next.
A handful of grain is definitely an approximation rather than an accurate measurement. And a hair-breath was once a formal unit that was equal to one-forty-eighth of an inch.
And did you know that the measurement from a thumb to the last fingered, of an outstretched hand is around 9 inches apart. And that back then, is called a Span.
A hand is about four inches long.
And a Fathom is the measurement of outstretched arms, fingertips to fingertips, which is approximately your body's height.
Three fingers is the size of a shot glass. Enough about the hands, more on to the other body parts!
The length of both your feet, (from heel to toe) is equal to the length of your lower leg (kneecap to floor).
Speaking of feet, did you know that the length of your feet is about the height of your skull?
And that the length of your thumb is about the same as your ear?
I bet you just tested it out.
And the the first joint of you last finger is about the same size as the interior of your nostril.
No wonder Phua Chu Kang always picked his nose with his last finger!
Now there are definitely many other parts of the body that was used as a measuring tool. But I'm not gonna' list them all over here.
You should go crazy and search them on your own yeah. If you're more interested in the whole conspiracy thing about the calculations of the body, then you should Click Here!
And on to more intriguing estimations about the Human Body....
Now people, take a look at your ring finger and forefinger. Which one is longer than the other?
"Successful sprinters and endurance athletes are more likely to have long ring fingers than the also-rans, according to new research – based on the running speeds and times of young men.
Athletes with long ring fingers in relation to their index fingers also had superior aerobic capacity."
And now check your height and the progress of it over the years.
"A number of studies have linked increasing height with a lower risk of heart disease and an increased risk of prostate cancer."
And now check your legs out.
"A study based in the West of Scotland shows that longer legs, but not trunks, are associated with lower blood pressure, and more favourable levels of cholesterol and body mass index than trunk length. A study reported in the British Medical Journal showed that the risk of breast and prostate cancers increases with height. "
And to the ladies, go measure your hips.
"Women with small waists and larger hips – a low waist to hip ratio – and their children perform better in intelligence tests, according one study. " "A waist-hip ratio of 0.7 – a waist circumference that is 70 per cent of the hip circumference has been shown to be the most attractive to men. "
And lastly, everyone, go measure your fingers!
Divide the index finger length by the ring finger length, which gives you the ratio. If these fingers are the same length, the ratio is one, which is an average female ratio. If the ring finger is longer, the ratio is less than one, which is typically male. A ratio of 0.97 is about the average for males, but in elite runners, the ratio can be down to 0.9. In some men, the ring finger can be up as much as a centimetre longer than the index finger.
Women
Traits more associated with having a female hand (long index finger relative to ring finger):
High fertility
Large family
Low levels of assertiveness
Neurotic
Vulnerability to early breast cancer, cervical cancer, and polycystic ovary syndrome
Low risk taking
Women with masculine ratio
More likely to report side-effects of birth pill
More athletic
Vulnerable to osteoarthritis
Greater pain tolerance
More aggressive
Lower fertility
Left handed
High risk takers
High assertiveness
Hyperactivity
Men
Traits more associated with a male hand (long ring finger compared with index finger):
Higher fertility
Fast runners
Good at football, rugby, basketball, fencing, skiing
Good dancers
Prone to osteoarthritis
Reduced chance of heart disease
Autism and Asperger's syndrome
Low verbal fluency
Aggression
Hyperactivity
Good maths skills
Tendency towards left-handedness
Men with feminine ratio
Good social and verbal skills
Poor at football
Slow runners
Depression
Poor dancers
Reduced fertility
Reduced chance of osteoarthritis
Prone to heart disease
Tendency towards right- handedness
Tendency towards schizophrenia
How true is it? It all depends on your curiosity, and trust in Research. But I do recommend that you read the entire article before jumping to conclusions that someone else is a no-brainer.
Click Here!
Click Here!
Click Here!
Click Here!
And before I end, I'd like to share this article I found on the net:
"Do you ever remember, as a child, trying to catch a bubble with your hands and feel it? It was impossible -- it would pop. You could feel the popping of the bubble, but you would never feel the bubble in its true form. Do you remember seeing how easily the grass can catch them without them popping? Have you ever wished you could be like the grass, and feel a bubble?
Well, if you have hairy arms, you're in luck!
Here's what you do: Make a nice thick bubble, using plenty of bubble stuff. Let it down gently from your bubble wand on to your arm. If you do this correctly, the bubble will not pop and it will stick to your arm hair! And you will be able to feel the bubble's weight, and bounce it around, and generally be happy with your new friend! Hooray!"
Now we all know what hairy arms are good for!
I don't have super hairy arms, the ones with hair standing, but I'd sure like to see someone do this trick!
Credits:
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/body-parts-as-tools-of-measurement/
http://everything2.com/title/Measurements%2520based%2520on%2520the%2520human%2520body
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/features/how-our-body-measurements-affect-who-we-are-1516673.html
http://everything2.com/title/The%2520advantage%2520of%2520hairy%2520arms
Loves.
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