Sense of Humour - can your hand show it?

Image by Pixabay

Do comedians’ hands have anything in common at all? If they did, it would mean they have similar personalities … but seems unlikely, doesn't it, because there are all types of humour out there. And is there a sign on the hand which tells you that a person has a sense of humour?

I picked four world-famous comedians’ hands: Jimmy Fallon, Joe Rogan, Trevor Noah and Stephen Colbert. I have not seen any of their shows, except for a couple of Colbert's shows. All of these comics possess a sense of humour, obviously, but is that quality evident on the hand? We already know that there is no such thing as a blanket sense of humour as comedians have different styles. 

Jimmy Fallon’s hand

has longish fingers, a broad palm and a long Mercury (pinky) finger. The Saturn (middle) finger is a good length as are the Jupiter (index) and Apollo (ring) fingers. Jimmy's thumb is of normal length with a supple first phalange, while the second phalange is a little thick. All the fingers seem slightly bent, particularly the Saturn and the Jupiter finger. The lower mount of Moon seems excessively developed. His lines are fine as compared to the size of the palm. The Mercury and Saturn fingers being long is not unusual in itself, though telling.  Here's a pic of Jimmy Fallon waving.

If anyone imagined that comedians are cheerful happy people in real life, then Jimmy Fallon breaks the mould. His hand shows a serious person, cynical, controlling, and also someone with a imagination which is not always savoury. His hand also shows that he doesn’t do well in stressful situations. Where is the humour coming from then? No doubt, Jimmy is a bright spark, very intelligent, with a good ability to mimic, and has a rampant imagination to boot! Perhaps the cynicism helps in twisting things around to make them sound funny.

Joe Rogan’s hands couldn’t be more different. He has a broad fleshy palm with short, thick fingers and the base of the hand is thick. His Jupiter (index) and Apollo (ring) fingers are dominant but the Mercury (pinky) finger is good too. His palmar lines are fine, like Jimmy Fallon’s, too fine for the size of the palm. The life and head lines are separated and the headline starts from the Jupiter mount, leaving less space between the head and heart lines. Check out Joe Rogan's hands here.

If you are looking for a comedian who is jovial in real life, then probably Joe is it, although his joviality is likely to be crass. He’s the kind who will take life as it comes, is impressionable, loves people and music, and likes his physical comforts as well. He is ambitious, and his hand also shows a bold, fearless personality; he is a showman alright and good at mimicry, like Jimmy Fallon. Where does the humour come from? From his ability to enjoy life and be happy? Nah. It’s probably because he is highly intelligent, even if he’s not intellectual. Unfortunately, he also has an ability to see the world very subjectively; not very open to different perspectives, and this is an odd quality for a humourist.

The main difference between Trevor Noah’s hand and that of the other three comics, lies in its shape. He’s got a long hand, a rectangular palm and long fingers. His lines are long and fine, well-shaped in fact, and the mounts on his palm are developed to a normal degree. The finger which is prominent is the Saturn (middle finger), although the Mercury (pinky) finger is okay too. The headline is not only separated from the lifeline, it starts high, on the Jupiter mount (underneath the index finger). The thumb is long.

His hand shows empathy, intelligence and sensitiveness. At heart he is a very serious person, definitely not the jovial type, despite his broad smile and comedic shows. In this sense he is more like Jimmy Fallon but when it comes to being bold and extroverted, he’s like Joe. However, he is a refined soul, unlike Joe. His humour is likely to spring from his feelings, as he is all about feelings. Also, he is ambitious, and a showman, like Joe Rogan. His ability to mimic is average.

Stephen Colbert has a broad palm and medium length fingers, neither short nor long. His Apollo (ring) finger is too long and has a spatulate tip, and overshadows the Saturn (middle) finger. The finger of Jupiter (index) is bent. The head and life lines are joined considerably and are finely etched. Intelligence shouts out from his hand, but so does a desire for fame and name and he has a risk-taking ability. It’s his driving force. Here's a peek at Stephen Colbert's hands.

Out of the four comics written about in this post, Colbert’s hand is the only one which shows a strong desire for fame and wealth. He is also likely to be a cheerful and happy person in real life. He is a sensitive man, highly intelligent, and likely was introverted in first quarter of his life. His hand also shows diplomacy, and the ability to see things from different perspectives, which probably helps him be funny. He also has a natural ability to act and do shows which entail activity.

If there is something common in all these hands, it’s probably a high intelligence, the kind which is not necessarily seen on politicians or actors hands, those who are equally successful. But of course, all highly intelligent people will not make successful comedians. That Joe and Trevor are natural showmen counts for something, and the ability to mimic and see other points of view also helps both actors and comics. After all, humour is the ability to see the other side.

A critical quality that all these four comics have, and I suspect, so do other comedians not analysed here, is a remarkable lack of ego. After all, how else will they laugh at themselves? Which begs the question: Do egoistic people have a sense of humour at all? 

So the answer to the question in the title is: No, a sense of humour cannot be seen on the hand. Whether the humour is bombastic, or sarcastic, whether it's all about making funny faces and mimicking famous people, and saying the dumbest and obvious things with a deadpan expression...it's all very individual. Is high intelligence a perquisite? For comics who reach the world stage, it is!

You can find out what your favourite celeb is all about, whether it's Hollywood or Bollywood, or perhaps you would like to know about famous Politicians? The chances are, you'll find it here, on this blog!