Science and Religion Today » Genetics

Are Some of Us Born More Empathetic?

Heather Wax — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:55:21 +0000

Could be, according to a new study that suggests how well we empathize is influenced by our oxytocin receptor gene. The hormone oxytocin, as regular readers of this blog will remember, has long been linked to our sense of trust and desire to connect with others.
We inherit a variation, or “allele,” of the receptor gene from each parent, and Oregon State University psychologist Sarina Rodrigues and her colleagues found that the most empathetic people had two copies of the G allele. Those who had two copies of the A allele or one copy of the G allele and one copy of the A allele had a tougher time reading others’ eye expressions and emotions. Of course, genes alone do not dictate behavior, Rodrigues cautions:

I tested myself and while I am not in the GG group, I’d like to think that I am a very caring person with empathy for others. These findings can help us understand that some of us are born with a tendency to be more empathic and stress reactive than others, and that we should reach out to those who may be naturally closed-off from people because social connectivity and belongingness benefits everyone.

Does Your Face Match Your DNA?

Heather Wax — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:35:57 +0000

Kristi Scott, a doctoral student at Southern Illinois University, has written a thought-provoking paper about the ethical dilemmas surrounding cosmetic plastic surgery, especially when it comes to misrepresenting our genetic code and fitness to the opposite sex.
As Scott explains:

Evolution continually selects the best genes to proliferate the species. Emerging cosmetic plastic surgeries allow us to bypass our genetic code and cheat our naturally predetermined appearances by altering the perceived external flaws and ignoring the intact internal code where the “flaws” remain. Without these self-identified unwanted physical attributes, people who otherwise might not have been perceived as desirable mates for procreation allow themselves to be perceived as desirable enough to pass on their genes. … What we see on the outside is not necessarily what we are going to get on the inside, genetically speaking.

Which means those who have had cosmetic surgery owe it to their potential mates to disclose which procedures they’ve had, Scott writes:

Genetically it is important to communicate and give a visual reference so that the mate/potential mate is aware of what genetic predisposition they are getting involved in.
This disclosure then opens up for discussion whether or not that attribute that was modified by CPS will be a problem to pass on to potential offspring. In addition, there is a question of how the two individuals will deal with the attribute if it does produce itself in their offspring. As parents, will they raise the child to handle the attribute by acceptance (in contrast to how the parent handled it), or will the child grow up to receive a similar CPS to “correct” the attribute? This decision starts a spiraling decision process of parent to child in dealing with the “undesirable” attribute. Without the availability of CPS, the attribute may have been hindered in procreation, and been naturally weeded out, but with CPS it is given a potential chance to continue on, despite its perceived lack of desirability.

Gene Predicts Gang Membership & Weapon Use

Heather Wax — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:25:00 +0000

Biosocial criminologist Kevin Beaver and his colleagues at Florida State University have a new paper that looks at the link between genetics and violence. According to their study, boys who have a particular variation of the gene Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) are more likely to join gangs, behave violently, and use weapons. (While previous studies have linked this variant to violent behavior, this is the first to show it can predict gang membership.) The findings do not apply to girls who have the same variation of the gene, however.
Beaver explains why:

What’s interesting about the MAOA gene is its location on the X-chromosome. As a result, males, who have one X-chromosome and one Y-chromosome, possess only one copy of this gene, while females, who have two X-chromosomes, carry two. Thus, if a male has an allele (variant) for the MAOA gene that is linked to violence, there isn’t another copy to counteract it. Females, in contrast, have two copies, so even if they have one risk allele, they have another that could compensate for it. That’s why most MAOA research has focused on males, and probably why the MAOA effect has, for the most part, only been detected in males.

The MAOA gene affects the levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine (often called the brain’s “feel-good” chemical) and serotonin (linked to mood and emotional control), and researchers say the variant of the gene that predicts violence is hereditary.

Do Kids Inherit Our Feelings?

Heather Wax — Fri, 15 May 2009 19:36:00 +0000

Dr. Alberto Halabe Bucay from Mexico has put forth a startling new idea: He says that the feelings we experience during our lifetimes can affect the way our children develop. His theory is that the hormones and chemicals generated by our brains when we’re in different moods can influence the way genes are expressed in the “germ cells” that become eggs and sperm. These cells are responsible for getting genes into the next generation.
“It is well known, of course, that parental behavior affects children, and that the genes that a child gets from its parents help shape that child’s character,” Halabe Bucay explains. “My paper suggests a way that the parent’s psychology before conception can actually affect the child’s genes.”
Keep in mind, however, that the paper appears in the journal Bioscience Hypotheses, which publishes groundbreaking ideas that haven’t yet been peer-reviewed or tested by other scientists. —Heather Wax

Can a Gene Predict Men’s Marital Behavior?

Heather Wax — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:43:00 +0000

A new study shows that a man’s genes can affect his bonding behaviors—namely, his ability to be monogamous and faithful in his marriage. Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, who studied more than 1,000 heterosexual couples, found that a variant of a gene (called an allele) is linked to whether a man will be monogamous, how a woman will judge his emotional state, and whether he’ll get married or simply live with his partner. About 40 percent of men have one or two copies of this allele.
According to the study, led by postgraduate student Hasse Walum, men with two alleles are more likely to have problems in their marriage than are men with one allele, and men with one allele are more likely to have marital discord than men who don’t have any copies of the allele. About 15 percent of men without the allele said they had a serious crisis in their relationship within the last year, while 34 percent of men with two copies of the allele said they faced such problems. Women married to men who had one or no copies of the allele were more satisfied with their marriages than were women married to men with two alleles. And when it came to getting married in the first place, 17 percent of men without the allele were living with women they weren’t married to, while 32 of percent of men with two alleles were living unmarried with their partners.
The inspiration for the study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, came from earlier research on pair bonds in voles. This research found that high levels of the hormone vasopressin were present in the brains of males who remained monogamous and stayed with their mates to raise children. The finding led scientists to a gene that influences the activity of vasopressin and its brain receptors. Researchers theorize that because males with the variant gene are less susceptible to the positive feelings caused by the hormone (which are similar to the effects of oxytocin), they are less likely to seek long-term commitment.
Many scientists, however, are quick to note that the gene is only one of many factors (including love, loyalty, family background, and religion) that determine marital fidelity and the genetic variation is no guarantee of a bad marriage. “There are, of course, many reasons why a person might have relationship problems,” Walum said in a press release, “but this is the first time that a specific gene variant has been associated with how men bond to their partners.” Still, he says, the affect of the variation is “modest” and the gene should not be seen as an accurate predictor of a man’s faithfulness or how he’ll act in a future relationship. —Stephen Mapes