Do sex hormones at birth predict later-life economic preferences? Evidence from a pregnancy birth cohort study.

Economic preferences may be shaped by exposure to sex hormones around birth. Prior studies of economic preferences and numerous other phenotypic characteristics use digit ratios (2D : 4D), a purported proxy for prenatal testosterone exposure, whose validity has recently been questioned. We use measures of neonatal sex hormones (testosterone and oestrogen), measured from umbilical cord blood ( = 200) to investigate their association with later-life economic preferences (risk preferences, competitiveness, time preferences and social preferences) in an Australian cohort (Raine Study Gen2).