ronment for them."
Overall, these research findings highlight the complex interplay between genes and environment in shaping human behavior and personality traits. While genes do play a significant role in influencing certain characteristics, such as optimism, coffee consumption, and happiness, environmental factors also have an impact. Additionally, it is important to remember that personality traits are not solely determined by one gene, but rather involve the interaction of multiple genes and the chemicals they produce in the body. Despite the genetic influence, humans still have the ability to make choices and shape their own environments to some degree. Parents, in particular, are encouraged to recognize and nurture their children's natural talents and provide a supportive environment that aligns with their innate predispositions.
1. Various research centers are studying identical twins in order to discover the “heritability” of behavioral characteristics – that is, the degree to which a trait is due to genes (“nature”) instead of environment. They have reached some surprising conclusions. One study found, for example, that optimism and pessimism are both very much influenced by genes, but only optimism is affected by environment, too. According to another study, genes influence our coffee consumption, but not consumption of tea. Anxiety (nervousness and worry) seems to be 40 to 50 percent heritable. Another study tells us that happiness does not depend much on money or love or professional success; instead, it is 80 percent heritable! Among the traits that appear to be largely heritable are shyness, attraction to danger (thrill seeking), choice of career, and religious belief.
2. It is not easy to discover the genes that influence personality. The acid that carries genetic information in every human cell, DNA, contains just four chemicals: adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine. But a single gene is “spelled out” by perhaps a million combinations. As the Human Genome Project (which provided a “map” of human genes) was almost complete in the spring of 2000, there were a number of newspaper headlines about specific discoveries: Gene Linked to Anxiety and Thrill Seeking Due to Genetics. The newspaper articles led people to believe that a single gene is responsible for a certain personality trait, in the same way a single gene can be responsible for a physical characteristic or disease. However, one gene alone cannot cause people to become anxious or thrill seeking. Instead, many genes work together, and they direct the combination of chemicals in the body. These chemicals, such as dopamine and serotonin (which affect a person’s mood), have a significant influence on personality.
3. If, indeed, personality traits are, on average, about 50 percent heritable, then environment still plays an important role. Unlike other animals, human beings have choice. If our genes “program” us to be anxious, we can choose a low-stress lifestyle or choose to meditate or do relaxation exercises. But because of the powerful influence of genes, most psychologists believe that there is a limit to what we can choose to do. Thomas Bouchard, a psychologist and the director of one twin study, says that parents should not push children in directions that go against their nature. “The job of a parent,” he says, “is to look for a kid’s natural talents and then provide the best possible environment for them
1. Various research centers are studying identical twins in order to discover the “heritability” of behavioral characteristics – that is, the degree to which a trait is due to genes (“nature”) instead of environment. They have reached some surprising conclusions. One study found, for example, that optimism and pessimism are both very much influenced by genes, but only optimism is affected by environment, too. According to another study, genes influence our coffee consumption, but not consumption of tea. Anxiety (nervousness and worry) seems to be 40 to 50 percent heritable. Another study tells us that happiness does not depend much on money or love or professional success; instead, it is 80 percent heritable! Among the traits that appear to be largely heritable are shyness, attraction to danger (thrill seeking), choice of career, and religious belief.
2. It is not easy to discover the genes that influence personality. The acid that carries genetic information in every human cell, DNA, contains just four chemicals: adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine. But a single gene is “spelled out” by perhaps a million combinations. As the Human Genome Project (which provided a “map” of human genes) was almost complete in the spring of 2000, there were a number of newspaper headlines about specific discoveries: Gene Linked to Anxiety and Thrill Seeking Due to Genetics. The newspaper articles led people to believe that a single gene is responsible for a certain personality trait, in the same way a single gene can be responsible for a physical characteristic or disease. However, one gene alone cannot cause people to become anxious or thrill seeking. Instead, many genes work together, and they direct the combination of chemicals in the body. These chemicals, such as dopamine and serotonin (which affect a person’s mood), have a significant influence on personality.
3. If, indeed, personality traits are, on average, about 50 percent heritable, then environment still plays an important role. Unlike other animals, human beings have choice. If our genes “program” us to be anxious, we can choose a low-stress lifestyle or choose to meditate or do relaxation exercises. But because of the powerful influence of genes, most psychologists believe that there is a limit to what we can choose to do. Thomas Bouchard, a psychologist and the director of one twin study, says that parents should not push children in directions that go against their nature. “The job of a parent,” he says, “is to look for a kid’s natural talents and then provide the best possible envi
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