Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40351575›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in psychology2025

Sexual orientation is associated with 2D:4D finger length ratios in both sexes: an updated and expanded meta-analysis.

Ashlyn Swift-Gallant, Toe Aung, Stephanie Salia, S Marc Breedlove, David Puts

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in psychology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Ashlyn Swift-GallantDepartment of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, NL, Canada.
Toe AungDepartment of Psychology and Counseling, Immaculata University, Immaculata, PA, United States.
Stephanie SaliaDepartment of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, NL, Canada.
S Marc BreedloveNeuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States.
David PutsDepartments of Anthropology and Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The ratio of the lengths of the 2nd and 4th fingers (2D:4D) is a putative marker for prenatal gonadal hormone signaling and has been linked to human sexual orientation. Although 2D:4D is consistently found to be lower in males than females, the association with sexual orientation is variable across studies, with one meta-analysis finding lower (more masculine) digit ratios in lesbians than heterosexual females, but no overall association in males. However, this previous meta-analysis considered neither unpublished datasets nor bisexual individuals separately from homosexual and heterosexual individuals. Moreover, 17 datasets examining relationships between 2D:4D and sexual orientation have been published since that time, and we located an additional 11 unpublished datasets. We therefore conducted an updated and expanded meta-analysis comprising 51 studies, including 44 male and 34 female datasets, totaling 227,648 participants. This meta-analysis also explored whether 2D:4D differed between heterosexual and bisexual and/or non-exclusive individuals in both sexes. Results indicate lower (more male-typical) digit ratios in homosexual women (right hand

Indexed as

2D:4Dbisexualitydigit ratiosprenatal androgensprenatal estrogenssexual orientation

Identifiers

PMID40351575
PMCPMC12062117

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.