Digit ratio, or the length ratio between the index and ring fingers, has been found to a correlate with a surprising diversity of traits. For example, men tend to have a longer ring finger than index finger, whereas in women, the trend is reversed. Digit ratio has also been correlated with aggression, academic performance, sexual preference, and myriad other characteristics.
As it turns out, digit ratio can be considered a crude estimate of prenatal androgen exposure, i.e. the concentration of testosterone in the womb. A shorter 2D:4D digit ratio is associated with higher testosterone exposure.
A recent study investigated the effects of digit ratio on athletic performance in professional fencers. The digit ratios of 58 men and 41 women were measured and correlation between professional ranking and digit ratio was calculated. Among female, but not male, fencers, low digit ratio (associated with higher prenatal androgen exposure) was associated with greater athletic performance after controlling for salient performance factors (age, height, weight, etc.) Digit ratio was shown to account for 12% of the variance in fencing success among the professionals. Moreover, athletes engaged in the most aggressive form of fencing (the sabre) had the lowest digit ratios on average.
Other studies have shown negative correlations between digit ratio and athletic performance, but few have shown a sexual dimorphism in the effects of digit ratio on performance. It seems greater prenatal androgen exposure may well predispose individuals for greater sporting success, at least at fencing.
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