# Is your index finger shorter than your ring finger? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 22, 2016, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-index-finger-shorter-than-your-ring-finger/769408 "2016-10-22T22:46:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-index-finger-shorter-than-your-ring-finger/769408/1 "2016-10-22T22:46:30Z")
I just read [this](http://sciencenordic.com/show-your-fingers-neuroscientist?utm_source=ScienceNordic.com+Newsletter&utm_campaign=2800ffaf45-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3bb7f89ffc-2800ffaf45-239816037): > [@](#): > > It is well-known that adults whose index finger is shorter than their ring finger were exposed to greater amounts of testosterone when they were in the womb. > > The relationship between the index finger and ring finger shows how much testosterone you have been exposed to in utero, says Carl Pintzka, a medical doctor and researcher at the Norwegian Competence Service for Functional MRI. > Both women and men with this characteristic are — on average — better equipped to solve mentally demanding 3D rotation tasks as adults. As a group, they also have better physical and athletic abilities, but are more prone to having ADHD and Tourette’s syndrome. Google abounds with other articles about the “2D:4D ratio”. So apparently I’ve got man hands. On both hands, my index finger is shorter than my ring finger. If you’re curious about your own fingers, get a ruler and measure from the bottom crease to the tip. You can also put your right hand (where apparently the differences tend to be the most pronounced) on a scanner and take the measurements with imaging software. Do you think there’s something to this research, based on your own personality and health characteristics? Because I do. So naturally I wonder what the greater implications of this research might be. Will a 2D:4D ratio ever be used to corroborate (or refute) someone’s claim that they are transgender? Will it be used to pinpoint the kind of psychotropic medicines a patient might respond best to? I wonder if women who are incarcerated tend to have more masculinized finger ratios. Are male criminals more likely to have even more masculinized finger ratios than non-criminal males? If the best women athletes tend to have low 2D:4D ratios, do they have an unfair advantage over women with high 2D:4D ratios? Would it be ethical for a tech company to use the 2D:4D ratio as a hiring criterion? Will we see prenatal drugs that promise to maintain the “natural” hormone balance for the developing fetus? Would pregnant mothers who experience a lot of stress be encouraged to take such drugs? Are people with finger digit ratios that are discordant with their biological sex “undesirable”, or are they just different? Would it be unethical for a mother to take hormones to intentionally promote masculine or feminine traits in her baby? ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-index-finger-shorter-than-your-ring-finger/769408/2 "2016-10-22T23:03:18Z")
My index finger is longer than my ring finger. And I have a terrible time solving rotating 3D tasks. But I’m good with a lot of other tasks. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-index-finger-shorter-than-your-ring-finger/769408/3 "2016-10-22T23:14:19Z")
Male, significantly longer ring than index finger on both hands, but commenting mostly to say that “it is well known” is usually best read as “I claim with no real evidence.” Searching a bit it seems to be possibly true but [not](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378378212002149) so completely clear. > [@](#): > > Results > > NB males had lower mean 2D:4D ratios than females but this dimorphism was significant only for the left hand (males: 0.927; females: 0.950; p = 0.004). Mothers who had sons had lower 2D:4D ratios than those who had daughters and the mother’s 2D:4D were higher than those of NBs regardless of sex. Both hands of NB females were negatively correlated with AF testosterone and positively correlated with the mother’s 2D:4D, but males showed no significant associations. Maternal plasma testosterone also showed a negative weak correlation with NB’s digit ratio in both sexes. > > Conclusions > > Sexual dimorphism at birth was only significant for the left hand, in contrast with reports of greater right hand dimorphism, suggesting that postnatal testosterone is determinant for 2D:4D stabilization. The lower 2D:4D ratios in mothers who had sons support claims that hormone levels in parents are influential for determining their children’s sex. NB female’s digit ratio, but not males’, was associated to the level of AF testosterone. The mother’s 2D:4D ratios were positively correlated with their daughters’ 2D:4D, but the same was not observed for male NBs, suggesting that prenatal testosterone levels in male fetus lead their 2D:4D ratios to stray from their mothers’ with high individual variability. In any case MHO would be for unethical. ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-index-finger-shorter-than-your-ring-finger/769408/4 "2016-10-22T23:26:22Z")
I’m a man, with longer index than ring finguers (i.e. with the more ‘feminine’ hand morphology). I also have several of the traits listed here as being associated with high digit ratios: > **[Digit ratio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digit_ratio)** > > The digit ratio is the ratio of the lengths of different digits or fingers on a hand, the study of which has been considered pseudoscience. The 2D:4D ratio is the most studied digit ratio and is calculated by dividing the length of the index finger of a given hand by the length of the ring finger of the same hand. Although studies have claimed to show a correlation between the 2D:4D digit ratio and various physical and behavioral traits, these studies have drawn criticism for irreproducible The... ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-index-finger-shorter-than-your-ring-finger/769408/5 "2016-10-23T01:03:54Z")
On my left hand, the index and ring finger are the same length. On my right hand, the ring finger is considerably longer. Does that mean I have multiple personalities? Mosaic twin? ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-index-finger-shorter-than-your-ring-finger/769408/6 "2016-10-23T01:04:01Z")
My right index finger is slightly longer than my ring finger but on the left hand its reversed partly by me having crushed my ring finger; it healed a little longer. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-index-finger-shorter-than-your-ring-finger/769408/7 "2016-10-23T01:19:58Z")
Ring fingers a little longer than index fingers. I’m relatively short fingered altogether, generally built with wider rather than longer bones so I don’t know what that means. Not great at 3D rotations sometimes, other times I do pretty well, and I have ADD which may explain that. And yes it would be unethical just to promote those characteristics. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-index-finger-shorter-than-your-ring-finger/769408/8 "2016-10-23T01:38:09Z")
Female, ring finger noticeably longer than index finger. I was a tomboy, and am bisexual, but definitely not a lesbian-- most very definitely bi. But I did a few girly things as a kid, like being really into ballet, and taking ballet classes, much longer than most girls do. I am very good with 3D imaging and mechanical drawing. I am terrible at math beyond basic algebra and geometry-- although I excel at geometry-- first math I ever excelled at. I also do very well with probability and statistics, because it is very easy for me to clear the cobwebs of intuition from my head, and handle things like “Coins that have flipped heads 50 times in a row are not ‘due’ for a tails.” And the Monty Hall problem was obvious to me, because the influence of the host as a confounding variable was immediately apparent. I also apparently do a “man” thing, where, when someone complains about a problem, I either offer a logical solution, or explain why they could have anticipated the problem, instead of sympathizing. And in the Army, I preferred to work with men on tasks like loading and unloading, or setting up equipment, because men just get it done, no matter whether they like one another or not. Women will let extraneous bickering slow them down to a crawl. I also am very successful at building muscle tissue. When I lifted weights in my 20s, I achieved some very impressive results. However, I am not a man, and don’t want to be one. If I woke up as a man tomorrow, I’d shoot myself. I like other people being men, but the idea of me being one is repellent to me. I have lots of women friends who are all different kinds of people. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-index-finger-shorter-than-your-ring-finger/769408/9 "2016-10-23T10:47:19Z")
Ring fingers longer, significantly so on one hand; modestly so on the other. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-index-finger-shorter-than-your-ring-finger/769408/10 "2016-10-23T11:12:54Z")
Both index fingers are 1cm shorter than my ring fingers. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-index-finger-shorter-than-your-ring-finger/769408/11 "2016-10-23T12:04:04Z")
[Another interesting bit](http://press.endocrine.org/doi/abs/10.1210/endo-meetings.2015.RE.1.SAT-081) about 2D:4D ratio. Female to male transexuals (FTM) have similar 2D:4D to those born male. > [@](#): > > Previous research has shown that the ratio of the length of the 2nd and 4thdigits (2D4D) is influenced by gender, with a lower value in males. A lower 2D4D ratio has also been found to be associated with behavioral characteristics that are more common in males. While the developmental basis of these digit ratios remains uncertain, it appears to be dependent upon the balance of androgen to estrogen signaling during a narrow window of digit development. … > > … In summary, we found that in FTM subjects the digit ratio was similar to non-natal (male) gender. These findings are consistent with a biologic basis for transgender identity and the possibility that FTM transgender identity is affected by prenatal androgen activity, but that MTF transgender identity has a different basis. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-index-finger-shorter-than-your-ring-finger/769408/12 "2016-10-23T18:15:16Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Will a 2D:4D ratio ever be used to corroborate (or refute) someone’s claim that they are transgender? The root causes of being transgender and the physical manifestations are still only in the “strong evidence” phase, of which exposure levels to fetal testosterone does not really fall within the top-10 most likely characteristics. Brain studies with MRI and fMRI, on the other hand, are something which a person could push with much more evidence. My fingers are about equal length, FWIW. Then again, I have a modest intersex condition. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-index-finger-shorter-than-your-ring-finger/769408/13 "2016-10-23T19:06:02Z")
Male here, my ring finger is longer than my index finger, I should theoretically I guess have the more “masculine traits” I find a lot of it but not all holds true. I’m more muscular, less inhibited, aggressive than some people, I’m musically talented, but I’m only average in math and actually always tested higher in verbal knowledge so just like anything else I don’t think you can just break down someone’s entire personality or existence based on some physical or genetic characteristics. I also have Morton’s Toe where the second toe is longer than the big toe but I’ve never read that has anything to do with hormone exposure in utero, but rather that it was just a natural variation. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-index-finger-shorter-than-your-ring-finger/769408/14 "2016-10-23T20:36:46Z")
yes, moreso on my right hand than my left. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-index-finger-shorter-than-your-ring-finger/769408/15 "2016-10-24T00:29:21Z")
On my left hand, the ring finger is shorter by about 1/16" and this is reversed on my right hand. Male and right handed FWIW. I can rotate 3D figures with some difficulty. Geometry is not my strong suit. Algebra is.