Individual differences in women's facial preferences as a function of digit ratio and mental rotation ability

Abstract The second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) and mental rotation (MR) ability are sexually dimorphic traits that appear early in development and have been correlated with exposure to prenatal androgens (Grimshaw, Sitarenios, & Finegan, 1995; Lutchmaya, Baron-Cohen, Raggatt, Knickmeyer, & Manning, 2004). The current study examined how 2D:4D and MR differences among women of European descent ( N =41) were related to their (a) preferences for male faces: attractive (ATM), short-term (STM), and long-term mate (LTM), and (b) psychological femininity and masculinity, as measured by the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI) (Bem, 1981). To examine potential changes in facial preferences over their menstrual cycle, participants' preferences were measured during two experimental sessions separated by 2 weeks. The results indicated that (a) femininity scores decreased with decreasing 2D:4D, (b) masculinity scores increased with faster MR, (c) women preferred a more masculine male face for an STM than for an LTM, and (d) preference changes over the menstrual cycle varied systematically with 2D:4D. When compared with women with high 2D:4D ratios, low 2D:4D women (e) preferred a more masculine LTM, (f) recalled less parental bonding, (g) had shorter intimate relationships, and (h) reported more menstrual irregularity. The results are interpreted as support for an interactive hormonal theory of physical attraction.