What the Length of Your Ring Finger Can Tell You About Your Masculinity

What the Length of Your Ring Finger Can Tell You About Your Masculinity, by Brett. Your 2D:4D ratio is the length of your index finger divided by the length of your ring finger (measure from the wrinkles or lines across the base of the finger on the edge of your palm, to the finger tip).

So if your index finger is 2.9 inches long and your ring finger is 3.1 inches long, you have a 2D:4D ratio of .935 (2.9/3.1 = .935). A longer ring finger compared to your index finger is considered a “low 2D:4D ratio.”

Digit ratios lie on a spectrum. Some men have really low digit ratios, like .83, and some folks have really high digit ratios, like 1.06.

Hand

It now appears that the 2D:4D finger ratio is determined by sex hormone exposure in the womb.

It wasn’t until 2011, however, that scientists were able to directly show that prenatal exposure to testosterone determines the 2D:4D ratio.

The following are only correlations, so they don’t apply to everyone and are only statistical tendencies. People with a lower 2D:4D ratio (ring finger longer than index finger) tend to:

  • Be more aggressive
  • Get along better with women, if male. According to the study’s lead author, Debbie Moskowitz, “when with women, men with smaller ratios were more likely to listen attentively, smile and laugh, compromise, or compliment the other person.” Men with lower 2D:4D ratios make greater efforts to impress women while courting them compared to men with higher 2D:4D ratios. They’re more likely to buy things like flowers and spend more on dates. What’s more, men with low 2D:4D ratios tend to spend more time and money on their appearance than men with higher 2D:4D ratios. Why? A man with more testosterone may be more driven to reproduce, and is thus more motivated to learn how to woo women.
  • Marry younger.
  • Be more promiscuous.
  • Be more athletic.
  • Take more risks.
  • Smoke and drink less.
  • Be autistic. Autism is considered to be a manifestation of the “extreme male brain.”
  • Be less fluent verbally.
  • Be more likely to have ADHD.
  • Be less likely to be depressed or anxious.
  • Be less at risk of heart attacks, if male.
  • Be less obese.
  • Have more masculine faces.
  • Be more likely to develop prostrate cancer, if male.

Finally, the latest research finds no link with testosterone levels as adults or with sexual orientation.