# What's your finger length ratio? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 21, 2004, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-finger-length-ratio/265354 "2004-09-21T17:21:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-finger-length-ratio/265354/1 "2004-09-21T17:21:41Z")
Just found this [article](http://www.jsonline.com/alive/news/mar00/fingers30032900.asp) (yes, it’s from 2000 but the study was referenced in an article on today’s [ABCnews.com](http://ABCnews.com)) that states that sexual orientation can be deduced by the ratio of the ring finger to the index finger. Evidentally, men tend to have index fingers shorter than their ring fingers and women tend to have index fingers that are even or longer than the ring finger. Lesbians tend to have more “masculine” hands and gay male hands are a bit more inconclusive although many of them have an even more exaggerated ratio than straight males. So, once I look past my long acrylic hot pink fingernails, I see that my index finger is significantly _shorter_ than my ring finger. :eek: I think I’m pretty girly. I don’t think I’m attracted to other women (other than Gwen Stefani who defines hotness) although I do always check out what they’re wearing and if they’re thinner than me. But I am active in sports and haven’t dated in over a year and have easily gone looong stretches without sex. :dubious: I once asked a lesbian friend what sort of vibes I gave off and she said I came off more as a “fag hag” than anything else. So, Dopers, especially female ones, what’s your finger ratio? And orientation? ---
**Author:** ![Cyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@Cyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyn)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-finger-length-ratio/265354/2 "2004-09-21T17:42:12Z")
My index fingers are ever-so-slightly longer than my ring fingers My co-workers, all female, vote me the girliest girl ever, despite there being several others more glam, more made up, etc. They uphold their decision with “It’s not that, you’re just so foo-foo.” I was a very late-bloomer, sexually, and had many male, female, gay and lesbian friends into my late teens. I much prefer men and although I can see the attraction of women for women, I don’t feel that. I also read somewhere that finger and toe length, besides being hereditory, was also influenced by mild tetragens in-utero. This makes more sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-finger-length-ratio/265354/3 "2004-09-21T17:55:08Z")
If the article says that finger length ratio determines orientation, it’s full of shit. Gays and lesbians may have a different average finger length ratio than straight men and women, but that doesn’t mean that you can conclude anything about somebody by looking at their fingers. As for me, I have the typical straight male finger length ratio, and I’m not quite heterosexual. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-finger-length-ratio/265354/4 "2004-09-21T18:11:45Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > If the article says that finger length ratio determines orientation, it’s full of shit. Gays and lesbians may have a different average finger length ratio than straight men and women, but that doesn’t mean that you can conclude anything about somebody by looking at their fingers. I don’t think it’s saying the ratio _determines_ orientation, just that it can be an indicator. I just thought it’d be an interesting poll particularly since my result was pretty opposite of what it predicts. Hmm, I see the article I linked now wants registration (didn’t before). Here’s a non-registration (I think) [article](http://www.expressindia.com/ie/daily/20000402/ina02058.html) about the study. And here’s [one](http://www.unl.edu/rhames/courses/readings/homofinger/homo_finger.html) with some actual statistics in it, for the mathematically interested. > [@](#): > > As for me, I have the typical straight male finger length ratio, and I’m not quite heterosexual. Do you have any older brothers? That also seems to be a pattern… ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-finger-length-ratio/265354/5 "2004-09-21T18:14:29Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#): > > Do you have any older brothers? That also seems to be a pattern… Nope. But I have read before that finger length ratio correlates with the amount of testosterone a person is exposed to in their mother’s womb, which is probably a vital part of a coherent worldview about this sort of stuff. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-finger-length-ratio/265354/6 "2004-09-21T18:24:23Z")
My index fingers are significantly shorter than my ring fingers (the tip of my index finger is just barely past the first joint of my middle finger). My hands, in general, are rather large - the same size as my father’s, who is six inches taller than me. I’m a straight female, but I’ve had both my fingers and toes (my big toe is just slightly shorter than the toe next to it) pointed out as being “different” than most. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-finger-length-ratio/265354/7 "2004-09-21T18:29:03Z")
Straight female; index noticeably longer than ring finger on both hands. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-finger-length-ratio/265354/8 "2004-09-21T18:34:24Z")
Straight male, Index finger shorter than ring finger by half an inch. Didn’t even know index fingers could be longer than ring fingers. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-finger-length-ratio/265354/9 "2004-09-21T18:41:30Z")
It occurs to me that for my index finger to be longer than my ring finger, it would actually be longer than my middle finger as well, because my ring finger is almost the same length as the middle. (And if I type “Ringer” instead of “ring finger” one more time, I’m gonna break something. A finger, mebbe.) ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-finger-length-ratio/265354/10 "2004-09-21T18:52:05Z")
My index fingers are pretty much the same length as my ring fingers. Maybe a hair longer or shorter. While I think I could intellectually find other women attractive, I’ve never found them sexually attractive at all. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-finger-length-ratio/265354/11 "2004-09-21T18:52:27Z")
Sorry to post again but I decided to look for pictures of the typical hand and… mine are all whacked out. I’m starting to think I have actual, legitimate reasons for struggling so much with the guitar. My pinky is apparently extremely short (the first knuckle of my pinky is dead even with the second knuckle of my ring finger; my ring and middle fingers are almost the same length, with the middle being maybe 1/16 of an inch longer. As I said the tip of my first finger is just barely past the first knuckle of my ring finger. I’ve been struggling with using my pinky properly when playing guitar, and no one has been able to help me really get past it. Now I think I am rather confident that my fingers are just putting me at a disadvantage. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-finger-length-ratio/265354/12 "2004-09-21T18:58:11Z")
Straight male here. Left hand: index finger slightly longer than ring finger; Right hand: ring finger definitely longer than index finger. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-finger-length-ratio/265354/13 "2004-09-21T19:22:17Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Nope. But I have read before that finger length ratio correlates with the amount of testosterone a person is exposed to in their mother’s womb, which is probably a vital part of a coherent worldview about this sort of stuff. Yep, that’s pretty much what the first article says: > [@](#): > > The ratio, the researchers say, may be a biological marker for the amount of androgens (male sex hormones such as testosterone) that a fetus is exposed to in the womb. And prenatal exposure to male hormones may help determine whether a person becomes heterosexual or gay, they assert. And my newly-learned favorite trivia: > [@](#): > > Breedlove said his findings also are consistent with other research suggesting that gay men have been “hypermasculinized” with higher levels of testosterone circulating in their blood, **larger genitalia** and subtle differences in brain structure as compared with straight men. (bolding mine) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-finger-length-ratio/265354/14 "2004-09-21T19:35:41Z")
_They’re exactly even!_ :dubious: OMG! I’m a bi-sexual… or maybe a hermaphrodite!!! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-finger-length-ratio/265354/15 "2004-09-21T21:12:41Z")
Straight male here with fingers opposite those of **F. U. Shakespeare**. Left hand ratio: 9.49 (well within the error bar for straight male; not even close to any of the others) Right hand ratio: 1.038 (not within _any_ of the error bars but closest to the straight _woman_!) Yep, I measured them with a ruler. Now to interpret the results… ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-finger-length-ratio/265354/16 "2004-10-21T15:34:30Z")
OK this is preciselt 1 month old, so I hope I don’t get in troublr for the bounce, but this new scientific research makes an interesting observation. [Oestrogen ‘boosts male research’](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/3761038.stm) , which state > [@BBC](#): > > The scientists tended to have longer index fingers than other men, indicating high oestrogen levels. So the same indicator (index finger to ring finger length ratio) also seems to be noticable in research scientists. (This also explains why I never finished my PhD 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-finger-length-ratio/265354/17 "2004-10-21T15:48:50Z")
Straight female _scientist_: I measured both hands and my index fingers and ring fingers are equal in length. I guess that means that my sex life is on track, but I wonder about the implications for my career . . . :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-finger-length-ratio/265354/18 "2004-10-21T15:53:08Z")
Bisexual female, ring finger obviously longer than index finger. ---
**Author:** ![Thinks2Much](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Thinks2Much](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thinks2Much)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-finger-length-ratio/265354/19 "2004-10-21T16:33:46Z")
I always hate it when other people do this to my threads, but I asked this before. [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=182851) is the thread if you’re interested to see the results from last time. ---
**Author:** ![melondeca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@melondeca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melondeca)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-finger-length-ratio/265354/20 "2004-10-21T17:01:07Z")
I am straight female. Right hand: index and ring fingers are the same height Left hand: index finger is MUCH lower than ring finger Ok, just measured my fingers and found that while my index fingers are the same length, my right ring finger is about half an inch shorter than my left. What does that mean? I know, I know…I am a freak of nature. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-finger-length-ratio/265354.md?page=2)