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🇵🇾 Paraguay /Health & Science

Study identifies more than 1,200 genetic variants linked to personality

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Context piece
  • A meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identified 1,260 genetic variants associated with the five major personality traits.
  • The research drew on 46 cohorts worldwide, involving up to 1.1 million participants depending on the trait studied.
  • Researchers said no single “personality gene” determines behavior, and environmental factors can have a greater influence.

Personality does not come down to a single gene. A large meta-analysis has identified more than 1,200 genetic variants linked to five broad personality traits, while stressing that the effects of individual variants remain very small.

The study examined neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, openness to experience and conscientiousness. These categories cover differences such as anxiety and emotional volatility, sociability and energy, compassion and trust, curiosity and imagination, and organization and responsibility.

There is no single ‘personality gene.’

— Ted SchwabaThe Michigan State University researcher explained that personality traits involve numerous genetic variants rather than one determining gene.

Researchers analyzed genome-wide association study results from 46 cohorts around the world. The cohorts included up to 1.1 million participants, depending on the trait under examination. The team identified 1,260 variants associated with the five traits, including 824 that had not previously been linked to personality.

The findings do not mean that scientists can predict someone’s personality directly from DNA. Ted Schwaba of Michigan State University, the study’s lead author, said, “There is no single ‘personality gene.’” He explained that many variants contribute to personality, although “the effects of many variants together can be more significant.”

The effects of many variants together can be more significant.

— Ted SchwabaHe described how individually small genetic effects may become more meaningful when considered collectively.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. 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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