From the time you “pinky promised” your best friend on the playground, to the time you “pinky promised” your best friend at the middle school dance, to the time you “pinky promised” your best friend in a bar, did you ever stop to think why intertwining your pinky finger with someone else’s meant so much or where this idea even came from?
It is said that the “pinky promise” or “pinky swear” originated in Japan where it is known as yubikiri, which means “finger cut-off.” This is because in Japan the person that broke the “pinky promise” had to cut off their pinky finger. However, over time the “pinky promise” has become a more casual way of making a promise.
Could you imagine if every time you broke a “pinky promise,” you had to cut of your pinky? Eventually, pinkies would go extinct. However, if you break a “pinky promise” with your best friend, cutting off your pinky would be the least of your worries. Pinky promises are a binding foundation of trust.