Blame Your Shyness on Your Genes

By Abigail Mellier, April 18th, 2013 | Health | 0 Comments

Are you shy, always hanging at the edge of the party, or are you the social type who gets in the middle of things and introduces yourself? Wallflower or Cheerleader, it may not be up to you.

Scientists recently discovered “personality” genes that may indicate whether you are shy or sociable. They did this by studying identical and fraternal twins and how they relate to the world around them. Since identical twins have the exact same genes, the researchers discovered more differences among the fraternal twins whose genes are similar, but not the same.

The report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, explained that while further studies are necessary, there is definitely some kind of link. Co-author of the study, Dr. Nicholas A. Christakis, a professor of sociology and medical sociology at Harvard University, is reluctant to go into details just yet.

“Genetic engineering is very difficult,” he explains. This is because human behavior is the result of not only DNA, but also by environment or the way a person is raised.

One surprising aspect of the study is how one person’s DNA may influence the behavior of those around him. According to James H. Fowler, an associate professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego and lead author of the report, “My genes can influence the probability that two of my friends will become friends of each other.”

As a result of these genetic personality indicators, we may be able to predict a person’s most likely behavior in certain situations if they are also in the appropriate environment.