 |
|
|
|
April 18th, 2012
09:27 AM ET
Are mean people born that way?Let's face it - everyone isn't nice. In fact, being nice is more difficult for some people than others. But is it possible that "niceness" is predetermined by our genes? A new study in the journal Psychological Science suggests this: If you think the world is full of threatening people, you're not going feel compelled to be generous by doing things like volunteering and donating to charity. But if you have certain gene variants, you're more likely to be nice anyway. Now hold on a minute - this doesn't give your mean neighbor an excuse to blame his DNA for not letting kids on the block play on his lawn. It's a little more complicated than that. Researchers offered an online survey to participants asking questions like: –do people have a duty to pay taxes? –are people basically good or bad? –do you engage in charitable activities? Then some participants sent in samples of their saliva so researchers could check out their DNA. A total of 348 U.S. residents were included in the final analysis. Researchers analyzed the spit samples. They looked at the particular variants of receptor genes these people had for the hormones oxytocin and vasopressin. In case you're wondering, oxytocin and vasopressin are very similar structurally, and seem to have some similar social effects. For example, they're both associated with pair bonding - aka bringing closer together two spouses or a mom and her child. In fact, that's why oxytocin has been called "the cuddle hormone." But while the hormones have similar effects on the brain, they differ in the rest of the body. Oxytocin can induce labor. Vasopressin increases when you're thirsty and prevents the formation of urine. As the authors of the new study expected, people who see the world as a threatening place tended to not engage in charitable activities - except if they had particular variants of the receptor genes that the researchers were looking for. It turns out that if the receptors are especially sensitive to oxytocin and vasopressin, even people who fear others in society will do nice things, said Michael Poulin, assistant professor of psychology at the University at Buffalo and study co-author. "We’ve found that these genes also predict people’s willingness to be nice on behalf of other people or aggressive on behalf of other people," Poulin said. In other words, such biological factors may influence your willingness to defend someone else. That is consistent with other research, which found that rat mothers are more willing to be aggressive on behalf of pups when they received oxytocin. Previous research has also shown that these hormones make people more socially active. Blame the DNA? Keep in mind that this study only shows associations between genes, hormones and behavior, and doesn't prove direct causal links. It's not a "blame your DNA" situation, Poulin said. "While we found some interesting interactions with genes and perceptions of the world, I would resist saying that we found genes that control behavior," he cautioned. The next step for this area of study is to look at how sensitive people are to different kinds of threats. A few questions that might be posed by future researchers: –Is it important for people to believe they're helping good people? –Is there something in a person's background or upbringing that influences how threatening they believe the world is? Poulin and colleagues will also look at what other behaviors these genes might influence. So it's probably a little too early for mean people to start using their DNA as a convenient excuse for their bad behavior. But maybe someday...
« Previous entryOpium study raises questions about painkillers
|
  About this blog
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.
 |
|
|
|
tadalafil brands cialis tadalafil tadalafil drug https://tadalafilol.com/
https://apcalisetadalafil.com/ lowest price cialis https://tadacipetadalafil.com/ – buy cialis canada generic tadalafil
avanafil india buy avanafil uk
tadalafil drug https://cttadalafil.com/ – generic cialis tadalafil tadalafil liquid generic cialis tadalafil https://tadalafilww.com/
brimonidine generic combigan eye drops 2%
tadalafil blood pressure tadalafil cialis tadalafil online https://tadalafilww.com/
tadalafil order online no prescription https://tadacipetadalafil.com/ cheapest tadalafil cost buy cialis tadalafil online
safe canadian pharmacies online canadian pharmacies cipro hc suspension 0.2-1% pharmacy technician course online free
https://apcalisetadalafil.com/ tadalafil without a doctor prescription tadalafil goodrx tadalafil generic where to buy buy generic cialis online with mastercard
https://tadalafilww.com/ side effects for tadalafil tadalafil online tadalafil cost in canada buy tadalis
where to order tadalafil tablets generic cialis online fast shipping generic tadalafil from uk cialis at canadian pharmacy https://tadalafilol.com/
https://tadacipetadalafil.com/ canada generic tadalafil tadalafil online with out prescription tadalafil price walmart cost tadalafil generic
pharmacy website india reliable online pharmacy z pak canadian pharmacy
tadalafil generic prescription tadalafil online tadalafil price walmart canada generic tadalafil https://apcalisetadalafil.com/ – buy generic cialis online with mastercard
cost of cialis tadalafil liquid buy tadalis https://cttadalafil.com/
where to buy tadalafil on line generic cialis online fast shipping where to buy generic cialis online safely tadalafil cost in canada https://apcalisetadalafil.com/ – tadalafil generic
generic cialis online overnight delivery https://krocialis.com/ – female cialis review cialis softtabs online
https://tadalafilww.com/ tadalafil daily online tadalafil blood pressure tadalafil generic where to buy cialis without prescription
tadalafil brands https://tadagatadalafil.com/ – tadalafil brands generic cialis online fast shipping tadalafil https://tadacipetadalafil.com/
tadalafil daily online https://tadalafilol.com/ – buy generic cialis online with mastercard where to buy cialis without prescription buy tadalis cialis without prescription
is it legal to buy prescription drugs in canada mark marine pharmacy canada compounding pharmacy online
talafadil https://tadalisxs.com/ tadalafil 5 mg
shop cvs pharmacy online https://pharmacyken.com/ – vipps canadian pharmacy online online pharmacy 365 pills
erection pills https://pharmacyken.com/ – premium canadian pharmacy canadian pharmacies cipro hc suspension 0.2-1%
canadian pharmacy viagra cialis [url=https://cialishav.com/ ]cialis 20mg prices[/url] cialis dosage strengths
cialis one a day https://cialishav.com/ – alternative to viagra and cialis cheap cialis canada pharmacy
how to get cialis without a doctor https://rcialisgl.com/ – how can i get cialis fast cialis side effect
sure save pharmacy canadian pharmacy online cialis antibiotics online pharmacy
cialis paypal canada https://krocialis.com/ – cialis stores when cialis generic
buy generic cialis cialis pricing 20mg cialis online
next day delivery cialis cheap generic cialis cialis online cheap
where can i buy cialis in singapore cialis no prescriotion rgeneric cialis
This was awesome! I would like you to clean up all this spam though
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yusufhanafy
free online pharmacy technician practice test restasis canada pharmacy canadian pharmacy vancouver
top rated canadian online pharmacies legal online pharmacy reviews online pharmacy delivery delhi
does anthem blue cross cover cialis too much cialis fake cialis pictures
canada over the counter drugs viagra online canadian pharmacy paypal pharmacy online australia free shipping
no rx needed pharmacy canadian pharmacies drug prices rx online
prescription drugs epidemic cheapest prescription drugs canada rx crossroads pharmacy
cialis at ?2 per tablet cialis black brand cialis in usa
side effects for tadalafil cheap cialis tadalafil generic
tadalafil research powder cialis tablets purchase peptides tadalafil
liquid cialis indian cialis viagra and cialis combination
This was awesome! I would like you to clean up all this spam though
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yusufhanafy
oxycodone online pharmacy india pharmacy mail order nile rx pharmacy
buy liquid cialis online canadian cialis 20 mg cialis brand no prescription needed
tadalafil + dapoxetine 40mg/60mg cialis without a prescription tadalafil ip
This was awesome! I would like you to clean up all this spam though
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yusufhanafy
tadora 20 tadalafil price walmart maxim peptide tadalafil citrate
tadalafil online with out prescription cialis tadalafil tadalafil citrate powder