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MAJOR DISCOVERY: Is our personality written in our genes? DNA from one million people offers the clearest answer yet, and partners are not alike at all
Translated from Estonian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
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- A study of DNA from more than one million people examined how heredity contributes to differences in personality.
- The research, with significant participation by Estonian scientists, suggests personality inheritance is far more complex than the search for a few individual genes.
- It also found that romantic partners are not generally similar in personality.
Why does one person enjoy talking to strangers while another prefers solitude? Why is one person highly orderly and dutiful, while another acts spontaneously or worries about almost everything?
Psychologists have known for decades that some of these differences are inherited. Now, DNA from more than one million people has provided the most detailed picture yet of what that inheritance actually means.
The findings point away from the idea of a few isolated “personality genes.” Instead, the picture is much more complicated. The research also shows that partners are not at all similar in the way their personalities are shaped.
Estonian scientists played an important role in the study.
About this summary
Originally published by Postimees in Estonian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.
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