Digit ratio (2D:4D), testosterone, cortisol, aggression, personality and hand-grip strength: Evidence for prenatal effects on strength

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• 作者：Evaldo Ribeiro Jr^a ; Nick Neave^b ; Rosana Nogueiro Morais^a ; Liam Kilduff^c ; Suzan R. Taylor^d ; Marina Butovskaya^e ; Bernhard Fink^f ; John T. Manning^c ; ^{j.manning@swansea.ac.uk" class="auth_mail" title="E-mail the corresponding author}
• 关键词：Digit ratio ; Testosterone ; Aggression ; Hand-grip strength
• 刊名：Early Human Development
• 出版年：2016
• 出版时间：September 2016
• 年：2016
• 卷：100
• 期：Complete
• 页码：21-25
• 全文大小：347 K

文摘

Digit ratio (2D:4D) is a putative marker for prenatal testosterone and is correlated with performance in many sports. Low 2D:4D has been linked to strength but the evidence is mixed and strength is also influenced by mass, testosterone, and behavioural factors. It has been hypothesised that the 2D:4D-strength correlation may be strongest in challenge conditions when short-term changes occur in steroid hormones.

Aims

We tested this suggestion in men.

Study design

We used a cross-over study design with a challenge (an aggressive video of rugby tackles) and control (a blank screen) condition.

Subjects

89 healthy men.

Outcome measures

Finger lengths (2nd and 4th for both hands), hand-grip strength (HGS), testosterone (T), cortisol (C), aggression (Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire) and personality type (Ten Item Personality Measure). In both conditions participants provided saliva samples (for hormone assays).

Results

In the challenge condition there was a highly significant increase in HGS, and modest changes in T, physical aggression and emotional stability. HGS correlated negatively with left hand 2D:4D. In a multiple regression, left hand 2D:4D was negatively related to HGS and emotional stability was positively related to HGS. In the control condition HGS was not correlated with 2D:4D. In a multiple regression, BMI, physical aggression, and emotional stability were significantly related to HGS.

Conclusions

2D:4D is a negative correlate of strength in challenge situations. This finding may in part explain associations between 2D:4D and sports performance.