Multivariate genetic analyses of the 2D:4D ratio: Examining the effects of hand and measurement technique in data from 757 twin families

Abstract

The ratio of the lengths of the second to fourth digits of the hand (2D:4D) is a sexually dimorphic trait that has been proposed as a measure of prenatal testosterone exposure and a putative correlate of a variety of later behavioral and physiological outcomes including personality, fitness and sexual orientation. We present analyses of 2D:4D ratios collected from twins (1413 individuals) and their nontwin siblings (328 individuals) from 757 families. In this sample 2D:4D was measured from photocopies using digital calipers, and for a subset of participants, computer-aided measurement. Multivariate modeling of the left- and right-hand measurements revealed significant genetic and environmental covariation between hands. The two methods yielded very similar results, and the majority of variance was explained by factors shared by both measurement methods. Neither common environmental nor dominant genetic effects were found, and the covariation between siblings could be accounted for by additive genetic effects accounting for 80% and 71 % of the variance for the left and right hands, respectively. There was no evidence of sex differences in the total variance, nor in the magnitude or source of genetic and environmental influences, suggesting that X-linked effects (such as the previously identified association with the Androgen receptor) are likely to be small. However, there were also nonshared environmental effects specific to each hand, which, in addition to measurement error, may in part explain why some studies within in the literature find effects for the 2D:4D ratio of one hand but not the other.