HERE'S A FAMOUS SIMIAN LINE
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has a Simian line on both hands. (Thanks to Johnny Fincham for the picture)

Also known as the single palmar crease or Simian crease, the Simian line is when the heart and head lines intertwine to form one line across the hand. The feelings and emotions (of heartline) are under strong intellectual control (of headline) or vice versa. They may find it hard to distinguish between thoughts and feelings...are they thinking what they're feeling or feeling what they're thinking?....as the two are intertwined and combined. Key word for this line is "intensity". It can bring single mindedness, "tunnel vision", intense concentration or even obsession in some part of their lives, as they have the ability to put their heart and mind into whatever interests them.

People with Simian lines can be very successful because of their ability to put all their energy into a project. The other features of the hand may give a guide as to the area of their passionate interests. Some people with Simian lines may be good at doing deep detailed research in a specialist area, others may have built a replica of historical sites of London out of matchsticks, others may have a more emotionally based simian line that makes them very passionate about their relationship or obsessed with a person,...etc. Many have a specialist subject that they know everything about. All of these people might have very different personalities but they all share the Simian line intensity. Every aspect of the hand has to be looked at in conjunction with all other hand features. For example, whorl fingerprints add intensity too, so person with simian & whorls would be more mentally intense than simian & loops. Simian line can be 'stubborn' but more so if they have a short stiff thumb etc. Many people with Simian lines tell me they always felt a bit different from other people, but didn't know why, until learning about their Simian line helped them to understand themselves.

Having a Simian line on both hands kind of 'doubles' it's effect! If only on one hand, then they have some either active or passive way of separating out the emotions and thoughts, so as a very general example, they might be intense about their work but not in their private life, or vice versa. There are also variations on this line: semi-Simian, "simianesque", some people have an extra added twig of heart or headline as well as the main line.

The Simian Line is one of the most scientifically researched features of the hand. It is found on about 2 - 6 % of the general population (depending which study you read) but is more common on people with Downs Syndrome - about 65 - 75% (or more, again depending on the study), and also on people with certain other chromosome disorders. This fact causes a lot of misunderstanding. I am often contacted by people who ask "does my child have a chromosome disorder as he has a simian line" - NO it does NOT mean that people with simian lines have a greater likelihood of having a chromosome disorder, but that people with certain chromosome disorders are more likely to have a simian line.

A study of prisoners found that the Simian line was more common on people who had committed crimes of passion as opposed to premeditated crimes. I've had enquiries from people who worry about this e.g."Will my child grow up to be an axe murderer, he has a simian line?". Again, it doesn't mean they are more likely to commit a crime, but if they do it's more likely to be a crime of passion, especially if it is a heart-dominant Simian line. The Simian line is so complex, and so misunderstood!

See links page for sites with more information about Simian lines, and research page for a place to search for more scientific info. about this line

Extra Inter-Phalangeal Crease

These are Gina's hands. Most of us have three phalanges or segments to our fingers, but Gina has four!

Notice the extra inter-phalangeal crease on Gina's middle and ring fingers, giving 4 segments / phalanges to the finger instead of three. There is no extra knuckle - see how her fingers bend. So creases aren't always caused by folding / bending! (see FAQ page)
As this feature is so rare, no one seems sure how to interpret it ... some 'extra faculty' in the subjects related to the ring & middle fingers perhaps? An extra interphalangeal crease is more commonly found on the little finger. It is quite common for people with Down's syndrome to have only two phalanges or segments on the little finger, with just one inter-phalangeal crease instead of two. If anyone has any knowledge or ideas on extra or missing inter-phalangeal creases, please email me!

Someone has emailed me to say that in asian palmistry, extra inter-phalangeal creases on the ring finger are a fortunate sign mainly about money - an 'extra money' line.

I received an email from Caroline. Although I have a slightly different way of looking at what the fingers represent, I agree with the principle of her ideas about the extra crease. Caroline said: