{"id":1963,"date":"2020-12-26T11:00:56","date_gmt":"2020-12-26T11:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/?p=1331725"},"modified":"2020-12-26T11:00:56","modified_gmt":"2020-12-26T11:00:56","slug":"from-religion-to-politics-heres-how-genes-influence-our-preferences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=1963","title":{"rendered":"From religion to politics \u2014 here\u2019s how genes influence our preferences"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Social media algorithms, artificial intelligence, and our own genetics are among the factors influencing us beyond our awareness. This raises an ancient question: do we have control over our own lives? This article is part of The Conversation\u2019s series on the science of free will<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Many of us believe we are masters of own destiny, but new research is revealing the extent to which our behavior is influenced by our genes.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s now possible to decipher our individual genetic code, the sequence of 3.2 billion DNA \u201cletters\u201d unique to each of us, that forms a blueprint for our brains and bodies.<\/p>\n

This sequence reveals how much of our behavior has a hefty biological predisposition, meaning we might be skewed towards developing a particular attribute or characteristic. Research has shown genes may predispose not only our height<\/a>, eye colour<\/a> or weight<\/a>, but also our vulnerability to mental ill-health<\/a>, longevity<\/a>, intelligence<\/a> and impulsivity<\/a>. Such traits are, to varying degrees, written into our genes \u2014 sometimes thousands of genes working in concert.<\/p>\n

Most of these genes instruct how our brain circuitry is laid down in the womb, and how it functions. We can now view a baby\u2019s brain as it is built<\/a>, even 20 weeks before birth. Circuitry changes exist in their brains that strongly correlate with genes<\/a> that predispose for autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). They even predispose for conditions<\/a> that might not emerge for decades: bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and schizophrenia.<\/p>\n

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Read more:
Genes shown to influence how well children do throughout their time at school<\/a>
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Increasingly we are faced with the prospect that predispositions to more complex behaviors are similarly wired into our brains. These include which religion we choose<\/a>, how we form our political ideologies<\/a>, and even how we create our friendship groups<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Nature and nurture are intertwined<\/h2>\n

There are also other ways our life stories can be passed down through generations, besides being inscribed in our DNA.<\/p>\n

\u201cEpigenetics\u201d is a relatively new area of science that can reveal how intertwined nature and nurture can be. It looks not at changes to genes themselves, but instead at the \u201ctags\u201d that are put on genes from life experience, which alter how our genes are expressed.<\/p>\n

One 2014 study<\/a> looked at epigenetic changes in mice. Mice love the sweet smell of cherries, so when a waft reaches their nose, a pleasure zone in the brain lights up, motivating them to scurry around and hunt out the treat. The researchers decided to pair this smell with a mild electric shock, and the mice quickly learned to freeze in anticipation.<\/p>\n

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Read more:
Epigenetics: what impact does it have on our psychology?<\/a>
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The study found this new memory was transmitted across the generations. The mice\u2019s grandchildren were fearful of cherries, despite not having experienced the electric shocks themselves. The grandfather\u2019s sperm DNA changed its shape, leaving a blueprint of the experience entwined in the genes.<\/p>\n

This is ongoing research and novel science, so questions remain about how these mechanisms might apply to humans. But preliminary results indicate epigenetic changes can influence descendants of extremely traumatic events.<\/p>\n

One study showed the sons of US Civil War prisoners had an 11% higher death rate by their mid-40s<\/a>. Another small study showed survivors of the Holocaust, and their children, carried epigenetic changes in a gene that was linked to their levels of cortisol<\/a>, a hormone involved in the stress response. It\u2019s a complicated picture, but the results suggest descendants have a higher net cortisol level and are therefore more susceptible to anxiety disorders.<\/p>\n

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Read more:
Extreme stress in childhood is toxic to your DNA<\/a>
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Do we have any scope for free will?<\/h2>\n

Of course, it\u2019s not simply the case that our lives are set in stone by the brain we\u2019re born with, the DNA given to us by our parents, and the memories passed down from our grandparents.<\/p>\n

There is, thankfully, still scope for change. As we learn, new connections form between nerve cells<\/a>. As the new skill is practiced, or the learning relived, the connections strengthen and the learning is consolidated into a memory. If the memory is repeatedly visited, it will become the default route for electrical signals in the brain, meaning learned behavior becomes habit.<\/p>\n

Take riding a bike, for example. We don\u2019t know how to ride one when we are born, but through trial and error, and a few small crashes along the way, we can learn to do it.<\/p>\n

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Read more:
What is brain plasticity and why is it so important?<\/a>
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Similar principles create the basis for both perception and navigation. We make and strengthen neural connections as we move around our environment and conjure our perception of the space that surrounds us.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s a catch: sometimes our past learnings blind us to future truths. Watch the video below \u2014 we\u2019re all biased towards seeing faces in our environment<\/a>. This preference causes us to ignore the shadow cues telling us it is the back end of a mask. Instead, we rely on tried and tested routes within our brains, generating the image of another face.<\/p>\n