A comparative study on digit ratio and hand patterns of three ethnic races of Malaysia

Abstract

Background: To distinguish the characteristic hand pattern of each of the three different ethnicities in Malaysia and to study the hand pattern correlation between race and gender. Method: Individual lengths of the fingers were then measured and tabulated to serve as the basis for analyzing the 2D (second digit):4D (fourth digit) hand ratio. Based on this ration, the hand patterns were classified as A, B, and C types. Results: Hand pattern A (2D<4D) appears to be the most characteristic trait in Malays. The highest scoring hand pattern in Chinese is A as well with scores of 52% in their right hands and 60% in their left hands. In Indians, hand pattern C (2D>4D) shows dominance in their right hands with a score of 46% while hand pattern A dominates their left hands. Among the males, all three races show dominance in hand pattern A except in Chinese whereby the C hand pattern was dominant in their right hands (44%). Among the females, the most common trait in Malays and Chinese are the hand pattern A in both their hands. Indian females, however, showed dominance in hand pattern C in their right hands (60%), and hand pattern B (2D = 4D) dominated in their left hands (44%). Results of the statistical analysis revealed that there was a highly significant difference in the hand patterns of both the hands when compared to gender. Conclusion: The study suggests that ratio below or equal to 0.90 is suggestive of female sex for both hands, while a ratio of more than 0.91 is suggestive of male sex for both hands. The pattern A (2D<4D) is seen to be the most common trait among the three ethnicities of Malaysia with an exception seen in the right hands of Indians.

Is 2D:4D digit ratio related to avowed religion? A study among Mongolian young males from Ulaanbaatar

“…Besides, cross-society differences in 2D:4D was quite recognized. Although, in all such studies, similar sex differences within population were documented, 2D:4D was adequately described to vary across geography and ethnicity (Manning et al, 2004(Manning et al, , 2007Nayak et al, 2018). However, in a recent study, it was also revealed that endogamy related ethic differences had no effect on the 2D:4D variation (Kumar & Voracek, 2023).…”

Effects of caste, birth season, and family income on digit ratios

“…The finding of Szwed et al (2017) of a curvilinear relationship between birth months and digit ratios (i.e., winter bornexposed to more daylight at the end of the critical first trimesterhave lower 2D:4D ratio than summer-born) supports this likelihood (presumably through solstitial-melatonin-testosterone link). However, studies have reported the similar digit ratios in the ethnically similar populations living at different latitudes (Loehlin et al, 2006;Xu & Zheng, 2015) Moreover, there are reports of different digit ratios in the different ethnic populations living in the same latitudinal areas (Uygurs vs. Han, in northwest China, Manning, Stewart, et al, 2004;Nayak et al, 2018;Stolten et al, 2016;Gwunireama & Ihemelandu, 2010; for contradictory results see: Gabriel et al, 2009). Thus, the contention that differential light exposure (due to latitude differences) determines population-level differences in digit ratios seems weak.…”