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Largest Review Links Finger-Length Ratios to Sexual Orientation in Both Sexes

Researchers pooled 51 studies spanning 227,648 participants, finding modest associations consistent with prenatal hormone influence.

Overview

  • The meta-analysis in Frontiers in Psychology combined data from 51 studies and 227,648 people, incorporating unpublished datasets to address publication bias.
  • Exclusively homosexual men tended to have higher, more female-typical 2D:4D ratios, while exclusively homosexual women tended to have lower, more male-typical ratios.
  • Digit ratios among bisexual men and women were closer to those of heterosexual participants, indicating that grouping bisexuals with homosexuals can mask differences.
  • Findings were stronger in studies using photocopies or digital scans of hands, with weaker results when participants measured their own fingers.
  • The authors describe the effects as small and the 2D:4D measure as an imperfect proxy for prenatal hormones, cautioning that it is not diagnostic at the individual level.