An endocrine basis for tomboy identity: The second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) in tomboys

PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY

卷:79

Article

Atkinson, Beth M.¹  Smulders, Tom V.¹  Wallenberg, Joel C.^1,2 

[1] Newcastle Univ, Inst Neurosci, Ctr Behav & Evolut, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE2 4HH, Tyne & Wear, England

[2] Newcastle Univ, Sch English Literature Language & Linguist, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 7RU, Tyne & Wear, England

关键词: Gender;    Neuroendocrinology;    Testosterone;    2D:4D;    Tomboys;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.01.032

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

This paper investigates the relationship between organizational effects of pre-natal testosterone and the use of tomboy as a descriptor for young women. We show in a sample of 44 women that a woman's right hand 2D:4D ratio is a significant predictor of whether they will be labeled as a tomboy, with a decrease in 2D:4D ratio corresponding to an increase in the probability of being called tomboy. Taking the right hand 2D:4D ratio as a proxy for the abundance of testosterone in the early life hormonal milieu, we propose that organizing effects of higher pre-natal T lead to increased masculine-typical behavior in childhood, which increases the likelihood some women will be referred to as tomboys. We suggest that the increase in masculine-typical behaviors is a result of how the organizing effects of T on the brain interact with children's social modeling of male-coded and female-coded behaviors. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free