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The digit ratio (2D: 4D) and economic preferences: no robust associations in a sample of 330 women

Parslow, Elle ; Ranehill, Eva LU ; Zethraeus, Niklas ; Blomberg, liselott ; von Schoultz, Bo ; Hirschberg, Angelica Lindén ; Johannesson, Magnus and Dreber, Anna (2019) In Journal of the Economic Science Association 5(2). p.149-169
Abstract
Many studies report on the association between 2D:4D, a putative marker for prenatal testosterone exposure, and economic preferences. However, most of these studies have limited sample sizes and test multiple hypotheses (without preregistration). In this study we mainly replicate the common specifications found in the literature for the association between the 2D:4D ratio and risk taking, the willingness to compete, and dictator game giving separately. In a sample of 330 women we find no robust associations between any of these economic preferences and 2D:4D. We find no evidence of a statistically significant relation for 16 of the 18 total regressions we run. The two regression specifications which are statistically significant have not... (More)
Many studies report on the association between 2D:4D, a putative marker for prenatal testosterone exposure, and economic preferences. However, most of these studies have limited sample sizes and test multiple hypotheses (without preregistration). In this study we mainly replicate the common specifications found in the literature for the association between the 2D:4D ratio and risk taking, the willingness to compete, and dictator game giving separately. In a sample of 330 women we find no robust associations between any of these economic preferences and 2D:4D. We find no evidence of a statistically significant relation for 16 of the 18 total regressions we run. The two regression specifications which are statistically significant have not previously been reported and the associations are not in the expected direction, and therefore they are unlikely to represent a real effect. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
2D:4D, Economic preferences, Experiment, Testosterone, C91, D03
in
Journal of the Economic Science Association
volume
5
issue
2
pages
149 - 169
ISSN
2199-6776
DOI
10.1007/s40881-019-00076-y
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
bf1640bd-4bbe-4ed0-8541-f8937def8f16
date added to LUP
2025-09-04 10:35:06
date last changed
2025-09-05 11:14:31
@article{bf1640bd-4bbe-4ed0-8541-f8937def8f16,
  abstract     = {{Many studies report on the association between 2D:4D, a putative marker for prenatal testosterone exposure, and economic preferences. However, most of these studies have limited sample sizes and test multiple hypotheses (without preregistration). In this study we mainly replicate the common specifications found in the literature for the association between the 2D:4D ratio and risk taking, the willingness to compete, and dictator game giving separately. In a sample of 330 women we find no robust associations between any of these economic preferences and 2D:4D. We find no evidence of a statistically significant relation for 16 of the 18 total regressions we run. The two regression specifications which are statistically significant have not previously been reported and the associations are not in the expected direction, and therefore they are unlikely to represent a real effect.}},
  author       = {{Parslow, Elle and Ranehill, Eva and Zethraeus, Niklas and Blomberg, liselott and von Schoultz, Bo and Hirschberg, Angelica Lindén and Johannesson, Magnus and Dreber, Anna}},
  issn         = {{2199-6776}},
  keywords     = {{2D:4D; Economic preferences; Experiment; Testosterone; C91; D03}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{149--169}},
  series       = {{Journal of the Economic Science Association}},
  title        = {{The digit ratio (2D: 4D) and economic preferences: no robust associations in a sample of 330 women}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40881-019-00076-y}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s40881-019-00076-y}},
  volume       = {{5}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}