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. 2006 Aug 22;273(1597):2091-5.
doi: 10.1098/rspb.2006.3550.

Digit ratio (2D:4D) moderates the impact of sexual cues on men's decisions in ultimatum games

Bram Van den Bergh  1 , Siegfried Dewitte
Affiliations

Digit ratio (2D:4D) moderates the impact of sexual cues on men's decisions in ultimatum games

Bram Van den Bergh et al. Proc Biol Sci. .

Abstract

Three experimental studies demonstrate that 'sex-related cues' impact human decision-making in ultimatum games. In the ultimatum game, two individuals divide a sum of money. The proposer offers a portion of the money to the other player, the responder. If the responder accepts the offer, the money is distributed in agreement with the proposer's offer. If the responder rejects the offer, neither player receives anything. Our studies show that exposure to pictures of sexy women or lingerie increases the likelihood of accepting unfair offers. Digit ratios of responders are reliably associated with their behaviour: males with lower digit ratios are more likely to reject an unfair split in neutral contexts, but more likely to accept unfair offers in sex-related contexts.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Scatterplots of right-hand 2D : 4D ratio and minimum acceptance level in an ultimatum game. (a) Study 1, landscape condition. (b) Study 1, sexy women condition. (c) Study 2, T-shirt condition. (d) Study 2, bra condition.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Scatterplots of right-hand 2D : 4D ratio and minimum acceptance level in an ultimatum game in Study 3. (a) Elderly women condition. (b) Young women condition. (c) Sexy women condition.
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