Born to Be Wild: Second-to-Fourth Digit Length Ratio and Risk Preferences

60 Pages Posted: 22 Nov 2021

See all articles by Brian Finley

Brian Finley

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Adriaan Kalwij

Utrecht University

Arie Kapteyn

Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research - University of Southern California; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Date Written: November 19, 2021

Abstract

The second-to-fourth digit length ratio of an individual’s hand (digit ratio) is a putative biomarker for prenatal exposure to testosterone. We are examining the hypothesized negative association between the digit ratio and the preference for risk taking within a large U.S. population survey. Our statistical framework provides a cardinal proxy for the true digit ratio based on ordinal digit ratio measurements and accounts for measurement error under the assumptions of Gaussianity and time-invariant true digit ratios. Our empirical findings support the hypothesis and suggest a meaningful biological basis for risk preferences.

JEL Classification: A12, C8, D01

Suggested Citation

Finley, Brian and Kalwij, Adriaan and Kapteyn, Arie, Born to Be Wild: Second-to-Fourth Digit Length Ratio and Risk Preferences (November 19, 2021). CESR-Schaeffer Working Paper No. 004, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3967606 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3967606

Brian Finley

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Adriaan Kalwij

Utrecht University ( email )

Janskerkhof 12
Utrecht, 3512 BL
Netherlands

Arie Kapteyn (Contact Author)

Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research - University of Southern California ( email )

635 Downey Way
Los Angeles, CA 90089-3332
United States
310-448-5383 (Phone)

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

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