# POLL: Relative finger length determines sexual orientation? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 9, 2003, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-relative-finger-length-determines-sexual-orientation/174118 "2003-05-09T14:55:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![\_etalhea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/779978/32.png) [@\_etalhea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_etalhea)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-relative-finger-length-determines-sexual-orientation/174118/21 "2003-05-09T18:58:37Z")
Actually, the original researchers were very close to the true indicator, but they just missed it. Here are the results as derived here at //\etallilabs, Inc. Men - if your index finger is longer or shorter than your boyfriends index finger, you’re gay. Women - if your ring finger is longer or shorter than the index finger of the last girl that you went down on, then you and her need to come into our lab for further observation and testing. OK, that’s solved, now we’re off to find that other word that ends in -gry. ---
**Author:** ![Lodrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@Lodrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lodrain)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-relative-finger-length-determines-sexual-orientation/174118/22 "2003-05-09T18:59:02Z")
My ring and index fingers are _exactly_ the same length and I’m a male bisexual (Kinsey, ehh, 2?). Surprise, surprise. ---
**Author:** ![bayonet1976](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@bayonet1976](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bayonet1976)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-relative-finger-length-determines-sexual-orientation/174118/23 "2003-05-09T19:10:55Z")
Well, both my index fingers are considerably longer than my ring fingers. Let’s see, left index finger is about 1/4 inch longer than the ring finger. Right index finger, 5/8ths longer. Not sure how that fits into the study. ---
**Author:** ![Thinks2Much](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Thinks2Much](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thinks2Much)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-relative-finger-length-determines-sexual-orientation/174118/24 "2003-05-09T19:48:55Z")
Esprix - if they have been, I would be happy to see your cite. I said this was just for fun. Bayonet1976, that supposedly means you prefer men. The article says people who prefer men have index fingers that are the same as or longer than their ring fingers. So, is that true? You didn’t give your preference or gender. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-relative-finger-length-determines-sexual-orientation/174118/25 "2003-05-09T22:02:30Z")
Bisexual female who for the most part prefers men checking in. My ring finger is considerably (a little under 1 cm) longer than my index finger on both hands. And I’m right handed. ---
**Author:** ![Liz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/liz/32/17737_2.png) [@Liz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liz)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-relative-finger-length-determines-sexual-orientation/174118/26 "2003-05-09T22:11:02Z")
Obvious what I am. Ring finger 1 cm longer than index. Right handed. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-relative-finger-length-determines-sexual-orientation/174118/27 "2003-05-09T23:13:39Z")
Straight male: fourth digit distinctly longer than second on left front paw; second digit slightly longer than fourth on the right. ---
**Author:** ![superstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f4b2a3/32.png) [@superstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/superstar)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-relative-finger-length-determines-sexual-orientation/174118/28 "2003-05-09T23:49:58Z")
Gay woman, index finger smaller than ring finger. Girlfiends index finger slightly smaller but almost equal. She could be persuaded!! ---
**Author:** ![Thinks2Much](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Thinks2Much](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thinks2Much)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-relative-finger-length-determines-sexual-orientation/174118/29 "2003-05-10T00:06:52Z")
So far, the results are as follows: 7 heterosexual men checked in - 5 predicted exactly correctly by the theory, one incorrect, one correct IF we use left hand instead of right hand 2 homosexual men checked in - one correct, one not. 3 heterosexual women, all correct 1 homosexual woman, correct 1 bi man had a gay male pattern 2 bi women had hetero female pattern. 2 others did not provide preference and gender. I know MonkeyMensch is male, but not his preference. Bayonet1976 is the other. 1 stopped in here just to be funny. So far, the theory is right 82% of the time for SDMB for those responses that could be processed. ---
**Author:** ![Omorka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Omorka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omorka)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-relative-finger-length-determines-sexual-orientation/174118/30 "2003-05-10T00:12:42Z")
Bi (Kinsey 2) female. On both hands index finger is about half a centimeter longer than ring finger. (This is harder to see on my left hand because I wear heavier rings on that hand; I had to take them off to get a good measurement.) ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-relative-finger-length-determines-sexual-orientation/174118/31 "2003-05-10T00:18:03Z")
Oops. My inadvertent omission. I like da bitches… ---
**Author:** ![Davebear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Davebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Davebear)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-relative-finger-length-determines-sexual-orientation/174118/32 "2003-05-10T00:26:27Z")
Straight male; both ring fingers roughly .5" longer than the index fingers. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-relative-finger-length-determines-sexual-orientation/174118/33 "2003-05-10T00:37:19Z")
OK, straight female. Ring finger on right hand is longer than index by about 1cm. Ring finger on left hand is about 1cm SHORTER than index finger. Does this make me a mutant or something? I am right handed, so maybe the ring finger on my right hand has been stretched out from writing so much (it has a big callous on it). ---
**Author:** ![geordielass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@geordielass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/geordielass)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-relative-finger-length-determines-sexual-orientation/174118/34 "2003-05-10T02:07:57Z")
Straight female. My index and ring finger on my right hand are virtually the same length. ---
**Author:** ![justwannabeme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3be4f8/32.png) [@justwannabeme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannabeme)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-relative-finger-length-determines-sexual-orientation/174118/35 "2003-05-10T02:11:39Z")
Straight female. My ring finger is about 3 mm longer then my index finger 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Luna\_Child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Luna\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Luna_Child)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-relative-finger-length-determines-sexual-orientation/174118/36 "2003-05-10T03:54:15Z")
Mine are different on different hands. On my right hand they’re even, on the left, my index finger is about 1.5 centimeters shorter. I’m female, Kinsey scale 2-ish. ---
**Author:** ![Priam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/77aa72/32.png) [@Priam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Priam)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-relative-finger-length-determines-sexual-orientation/174118/37 "2003-05-10T04:18:43Z")
Kinsey 5 male here Right hand: \>1cm. to 1.5 cm based on how I measured (hand in air, hand on table…) Left hand: No size difference between ring and index. ---
**Author:** ![MajorTom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@MajorTom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MajorTom)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-relative-finger-length-determines-sexual-orientation/174118/38 "2003-05-10T04:27:43Z")
It’s all B.S. It just flat ain’t so! (furthermore, why would anyone think it is so?) ---
**Author:** ![MajorTom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@MajorTom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MajorTom)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-relative-finger-length-determines-sexual-orientation/174118/39 "2003-05-10T04:31:05Z")
PS:Which hand are they talking about, mine are different, but never questioned it until I saw that same documentary. Never questioned my sexuality much either. Does this mean I’m Bi? ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-relative-finger-length-determines-sexual-orientation/174118/40 "2003-05-10T04:50:41Z")
Straight man here. My right ring finger is 1cm longer than my right index finger. 'Course, after my right ring finger was crushed a couple of weeks ago, it could be actually longer than that. I see an inherent flaw in this survey. Let us say that 90% of all people have a longer ring finger than their index finger. Let us also say that 90% of respondents are straight and 10% are gay. (I know, I know, terrible black-and-white misrepresentation here. Bear with me for the purposes of this example.) Let us lastly say that the “longer ring finger” measurement is distributed randomly throughout the two populations. Now, 81% of all respondents (90% times 90%) will be straight people with “longer ring fingers.” They will comply with the “theory.” A further 1% of respondents (10% times 10%) will be gay persons with “equal or shorter ring fingers” and also comply with the “theory.” Add the two numbers together, and we have 82% complying with the “theory,” even though there is absolutely no correlation between length of ring finger and sexual orientation. What percentage have we come up with during the survey so far? 82%? Hmmm. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-relative-finger-length-determines-sexual-orientation/174118.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-relative-finger-length-determines-sexual-orientation/174118.md?page=3)