Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 20, 2025

Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design
Published on: May 31, 2021
Finger-Length Ratios and Sexual Orientation in Southern Spain: A Large Sample Study on Sex-Linked Personality and
1Departamento de Psicología Básica, Facultad de Psicología y Logopedia, Universidad de Málaga, C/ Doctor Ortiz Ramos, 12, Ampliación de Teatinos, 29010, Málaga, Spain. raul.aguilar@uma.es.
Abstract:
Some similarities between sex differences and sexual orientation differences, with gay men shifted in female-typical directions and lesbians shifted in male-typical directions, have been hypothesized to reflect the effects of prenatal androgen exposure. This report assessed sex-linked personality and cognitive traits in a Spanish sample of 1117 straight (i.e., heterosexual) and non-straight (i.e., non-heterosexual) men and women, using finger-length ratio (2D:4D) as an index of prenatal androgen exposure. Observed sex differences were in the expected direction: Measures of right-hand 2D:4D, left-hand 2D:4D, and anxiety were higher in straight women than men, whereas impulsivity, dominance, cognitive reflection, and mathematical proficiency were higher in straight men than women. Gay men proved to be shifted in a female-typical direction compared to straight men for right-hand 2D:4D, left-hand 2D:4D, anxiety, and cognitive reflection; they were intermediate for dominance and mathematics, and were shifted in a male-typical direction for impulsivity. Lesbians were shifted in a male-typical direction compared to straight women for left-hand 2D:4D, anxiety, cognitive reflection, and mathematics; and they were shifted in a highly female-typical direction for impulsivity and dominance (scoring lower than straight women). Observed sex-linked shifts in gay men and lesbians were larger for psychological traits that displayed larger sex differences, and smallest for impulsivity (which displayed the smallest sex difference). Evidence also suggested that sex-related measures were linked to 2D:4D in theoretically meaningful ways. In conclusion, this report suggests a plausible role of androgens as prenatal determinants of sex-linked personality and cognitive traits in straight and non-straight men and women.
More Related Videos
07:32Use of Galvanic Skin Responses, Salivary Biomarkers, and Self-reports to Assess Undergraduate Student Performance During a Laboratory Exam Activity
Published on: February 10, 2016
09:07Protocol for Studying Extinction of Conditioned Fear in Naturally Cycling Female Rats
Published on: February 23, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Longitudinal Studies
Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development
Relationship Formation
Personality Theory by Eysenck and Eysenck
In the extroversion/introversion dimension, highly extroverted people are sociable, outgoing, and easily connect with others. In contrast,...
Behavioral Genetics and Its Designs
The primary methodologies used in behavior genetics include family studies, twin studies, and adoption studies, each providing unique...
Surveys