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Does a Gene Make People Seem Kinder?
Specific DNA might alter personality, or ways of
expressing feelings, small study suggests
November 15, 2011
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TUESDAY, Nov. 15 (HealthDay News) -- New research suggests
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that a variation in a single human gene affects how other people
see you at first glance in terms of your compassion, kindness and
The variation might directly influence your personality, especially
in terms of empathy. Or it's possible that it's connected to
something else that affects the way you act. On the other hand,
the research is based on only a few subjects, so much more study
is needed, experts say.
Still, the findings may "speak to the power of little genetic
differences to predict tangible differences in the way we behave,"
said study author Aleksandr Kogan, a postdoctoral fellow in
psychology at the University of Toronto.
Over the past five to seven years, researchers have been exploring
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how genetics affect emotions, Kogan said. "What we're learning is
that, to a certain extent, we have a genetic basis that supports a
lot of the processes that make us nice."
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have been linked to higher levels of trustworthiness, empathy and
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In particular, researchers have focused on a hormone called
and is found in a variety of animals. Higher levels of oxytocin
willingness to sacrifice, Kogan said.
In the new study, Kogan and colleagues focused on a gene linked
to the brain's oxytocin receptor, which is a kind of catcher's glove
Powered by that receives the hormone. They wanted to see if they could link
variations in the gene to the way that people are perceived by
others.
The researchers compiled 20-second, silent videos of people
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2011/11/15/does-a-gene-make-people-seem-kinder[11/16/11 4:37:45 PM]
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Does a Gene Make People Seem Kinder? - US News and World Report
listening as their romantic partners told a story about a moment
of suffering in the partner's life. Then they showed the videos to
116 subjects and asked them to gauge the compassion, kindness
and trustworthiness of the people in the videos, Kogan said.
The researchers then tried to see if patterns in the genetic
makeup of the people in the videos predicted how the subjects
viewed them.
Those who were considered to be most trustworthy were similar
genetically in terms of the single gene. The same was true for
those who were deemed least trustworthy -- they were similar to
one another, but in a different way.
People with the "kindness" gene showed more empathetic
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behaviors, like nodding their heads, smiling and making eye
contact than people with the other type of gene.
The question now is: If these links aren't a coincidence, how are
genes affecting how empathetic people appear to be to others?
Could it affect their behavior? The way their faces look?
Something else?
In the big picture, the research could lead to better understanding
of why some people are kind and others aren't, Kogan said. It
could even lead to insight into why some people are psychopaths.
Paul Zak, a brain researcher and founding director of the Center
for Neuroeconomics Studies at Claremont Graduate University, in
California, said the research is interesting but not yet worldchanging.
"Some people would say there is now a gene for being nice to
other people. That's not true at all," he said. Many other genes
matter, too, he said, as do more important factors like your
current physical state and your personal history.
In other words, if you're a jerk or a saint, your genes shouldn't
get all the credit -- or blame.
The study appears online in this week's issue of the Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences .
More information
The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about genes.
Copyright © 2011 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Tags: genetics, behavior, psychology
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