Conference Coverage
Finger length ratio identifies women at increased risk for depression and anxiety
VIENNA – The ratio of the length of the index finger to the ring finger on a woman’s left hand is an indicator of her risk for depression.
SAN FRANCISCO – Why are anxiety disorders twice as prevalent in women as in men? As in Hawaiian hula dancing, the expressive hands may tell the tale.
The ratio of the length of the index finger to ring finger – known as the 2D:4D ratio – is a physical trait that remains stable across the lifetimes of males and females. It’s also a reliable indicator of prenatal exposure to androgens. In female college students, the higher the 2D:4D ratio, the greater their level of ruminative thinking, which is known to be both a risk factor and maintenance factor for anxiety, Ellie Shuo Jin reported at the annual conference of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
Bruce Jancin/Frontline Medical News
The findings shed new light on the relationship between testosterone and anxiety disorders, according to Ms. Jin, a doctoral student at the University of Texas, Austin. The hormone previously has been linked to reduced levels of anxiety, an observation consistent with the lower prevalence of anxiety disorders in men. However, it has been unclear whether prenatal exposure to testosterone, which encourages organizational effects, or the activational effects of postnatal exposure to the hormone is most protective against anxiety disorders.
Ms. Jin found that prenatal testosterone exposure as reflected in a low 2D:4D ratio was associated with a lower level of repetitive negative thinking as measured using the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire but only in the female students.
She reported having no financial conflicts of interest regarding her study.