Fingerprint study of 1000 Singaporeans shows high self-management and resilience traits: Brillianaire

Brillianaire, Singapore's first self-development consultancy to use dematoglyphics services extensively for children and adults, has for the first time, collated data collected from more than 1,000 Singaporeans to provide a preliminary indication of what drives its citizens.

Singapore's true wealth lies in its people and the founding father of Singapore, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, would be heartened to know that three generations of talent cultivation and training have cultivated a population with exceptional resilience and high intrapersonal intelligence, as shown through a fingerprint analysis of its citizens.  

Brillianaire's sample size of 1,000 dermatoglyphics data includes both adults and children. While innate traits such as resilience and self-management are strong across all age groups, the data appears to show that Singapore's older generation are born with a higher degree of self-management skills compared to its younger generation – indicative of the fortitude of the founding generation of Singaporeans perhaps?

Upon being presented with this data, Ovidia Ong, the founder of Brillianaire thought, "This is so Singaporean".  She then went on to verify the data against her partner's data of Hong Kong residents, which showed an entirely different set of inborn characteristics.

"I was thrilled to discover that indeed, Singaporeans rank very high in self-management and adaptability - both traits that showcase our resilience and ability to self-regulate," adds Ovidia. The charts of both datasets are shown Appendix A.

The 200-Year Science of Dermatoglyphics: Linking Fingerprints to Brain Development

In the past, when doctors discovered babies born without brains, they also noted the absence of fingerprints as well. This led medical experts to believe that the brain was linked to the fingerprints. Later medical research determined that fingerprints and the neocortex develop simultaneously, which established a scientific relationship between fingerprints and brain function. Depending on ridges, line types and direction, an individual's personality type and brain dominance could also be determined at birth, leading to experts developing dermatoglyphics tests to help one ascertain their inborn traits.

Dermatoglyphics is the scientific study of fingerprints to determine a person's inborn traits, characteristics and potential. 200 years ago, in 1823, John E Purkinji published his thesis on fingerprint patterns classification and in 1892 Sir Francis Galton (Charles Darwin's anthropologist cousin) scientifically established that fingerprints were individualistic and permanent. In 1920 Elizabeth Wilson started analyzing brains scientifically to check on the differences between people with schizophrenia, low intelligence and normal people and in 1926 Dr Harold Cummings coined the word dermatoglyphics. He is recognised as the 'Father of Dermatoglyphics' for his lifetime studies of ridge patterns found on the palms of human hands. His methodology is used commonly in the diagnosis of some types of mental retardation and schizophrenia amongst others.

Dermoglyphics was also by the former USSR in the 1970s to select its candidates for the Olympics – as it turned out, the USSR took home 50 and 125 gold medals in 1972 and 1976 respectively.

Singapore's Future Through Its Fingerprints?

Through Brillianaire's data, it shows that Singaporeans have high self-management, resilience, scientific aptitude and lower artistic inclination, all seemingly aligning with our overall direction, academic success and professional resilience as a nation.

"While preliminary analyses also show that Singaporeans excel in scientific careers and generally not in sporting or artistic careers, this is just a generalization of what we are best at. Amongst us, there are sporting and artistic talents who should be cherished as truly unique and not within the norm," adds Ovidia.

Brillianaire is excited to share its initial findings, which may benefit city planners, strategists, and human resource departments. The company plans further analyses to create a detailed white paper on 'What Is the Singaporean Made Up Of?' for general use.

"For now, I am just happy to share our data so that whoever finds it interesting may reach out to us, to take the guesswork out of what they are best at, what job they would excel in, or which role is best suited for which individual.  At Brillianaire, we believe that the use to dermatoglyphics will also enhance a parent's relationship with their child as they will better understand how to hone and guide them based on their inherent personality traits," concludes Ovidia.