Whether you’re liberal or conservative could be determined by one simple gene — particularly if you’re a woman
Page 1 of 1
Whether you’re liberal or conservative could be determined by one simple gene — particularly if you’re a woman
istotle may have been more on the money than he realised in saying man is a political animal, according to research linking genes with liberal or conservative leanings. Or, to be precise, a specific variant of one gene that would seem to exert greater sway over women than men. Working with 1,771 university students of Han Chinese origin in Singapore, researchers compared answers to surveys — including one tailored to hot-button issues in the city-state — with the presence of a permutation of the DRD4 gene. DRD4 is one of several genes that determines the way dopamine — a crucial neurotransmitter, or chemical messenger — is released in the brain.
What they found was a robust link between the presence (or not) of the variant and a split between liberals inclined to decry inequality, on the one hand, and die-hard conservative wary of change, on the other. “The association between political attitude and DRD4 was highly significant for females,” and less so for men, said the study, led by Richard Ebstein of the National University of Singapore. Women, it was also shown, tended to be more conservative in general. The results are bolstered by earlier research based on people of European descent that found similar patterns around the same gene, according to the study. In the long-standing “Nature vs. Nurture” debate, it was long assumed that social values — and especially political ones — were rooted in family upbringing, education and class.
But a growing body of evidence suggests, in the words of the researchers, that “biology can’t be ignored.”
A landmark study published in 1999, for example, of twins separated at or near birth showed a marked strain of heritability for ‘conservatism’. The brain is wired with several distinct dopamine pathways, including one related to the risk-taking — arguably a parallel to the liberal-conservative dichotomy. From an evolutionary standpoint, risk-taking is a complicated business: in some situations, it may enhance one’s chances of success or survival, and in others it may spell doom. In the study, the researchers used standard questionnaires to rate conservative or liberal tendencies, making it easier to compare with earlier efforts to uncover links between genes and attitudes.
At the same time, to adjust for cultural variations from one country to another, they also devised a survey based on local issues known to divide opinion in Singapore along political lines.
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/08/whether-youre-liberal-or-conservative-could-be-determined-by-one-simple-gene-particularly-if-youre-a-woman/
What they found was a robust link between the presence (or not) of the variant and a split between liberals inclined to decry inequality, on the one hand, and die-hard conservative wary of change, on the other. “The association between political attitude and DRD4 was highly significant for females,” and less so for men, said the study, led by Richard Ebstein of the National University of Singapore. Women, it was also shown, tended to be more conservative in general. The results are bolstered by earlier research based on people of European descent that found similar patterns around the same gene, according to the study. In the long-standing “Nature vs. Nurture” debate, it was long assumed that social values — and especially political ones — were rooted in family upbringing, education and class.
But a growing body of evidence suggests, in the words of the researchers, that “biology can’t be ignored.”
A landmark study published in 1999, for example, of twins separated at or near birth showed a marked strain of heritability for ‘conservatism’. The brain is wired with several distinct dopamine pathways, including one related to the risk-taking — arguably a parallel to the liberal-conservative dichotomy. From an evolutionary standpoint, risk-taking is a complicated business: in some situations, it may enhance one’s chances of success or survival, and in others it may spell doom. In the study, the researchers used standard questionnaires to rate conservative or liberal tendencies, making it easier to compare with earlier efforts to uncover links between genes and attitudes.
At the same time, to adjust for cultural variations from one country to another, they also devised a survey based on local issues known to divide opinion in Singapore along political lines.
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/08/whether-youre-liberal-or-conservative-could-be-determined-by-one-simple-gene-particularly-if-youre-a-woman/
Guest- Guest
Similar topics
» Woman with novel gene mutation lives almost pain-free
» Labour leader Keir Stammer can't answer the simple question of whether a woman has a penis or not...
» After losing on gay marriage, conservative U.S. Christians turn on liberal Christians
» Gene Gene The Dancing Machine Dies Aged 82
» The Modern Liberal Left makes it REALLY hard to still call myself 'Liberal'
» Labour leader Keir Stammer can't answer the simple question of whether a woman has a penis or not...
» After losing on gay marriage, conservative U.S. Christians turn on liberal Christians
» Gene Gene The Dancing Machine Dies Aged 82
» The Modern Liberal Left makes it REALLY hard to still call myself 'Liberal'
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
Sat Mar 18, 2023 12:28 pm by Ben Reilly
» TOTAL MADNESS Great British Railway Journeys among shows flagged by counter terror scheme ‘for encouraging far-right sympathies
Wed Feb 22, 2023 5:14 pm by Tommy Monk
» Interesting COVID figures
Tue Feb 21, 2023 5:00 am by Tommy Monk
» HAPPY CHRISTMAS.
Sun Jan 01, 2023 7:33 pm by Tommy Monk
» The Fight Over Climate Change is Over (The Greenies Won!)
Thu Dec 15, 2022 3:59 pm by Tommy Monk
» Trump supporter murders wife, kills family dog, shoots daughter
Mon Dec 12, 2022 1:21 am by 'Wolfie
» Quill
Thu Oct 20, 2022 10:28 pm by Tommy Monk
» Algerian Woman under investigation for torture and murder of French girl, 12, whose body was found in plastic case in Paris
Thu Oct 20, 2022 10:04 pm by Tommy Monk
» Wind turbines cool down the Earth (edited with better video link)
Sun Oct 16, 2022 9:19 am by Ben Reilly
» Saying goodbye to our Queen.
Sun Sep 25, 2022 9:02 pm by Maddog
» PHEW.
Sat Sep 17, 2022 6:33 pm by Syl
» And here's some more enrichment...
Thu Sep 15, 2022 3:46 pm by Ben Reilly
» John F Kennedy Assassination
Thu Sep 15, 2022 3:40 pm by Ben Reilly
» Where is everyone lately...?
Thu Sep 15, 2022 3:33 pm by Ben Reilly
» London violence over the weekend...
Mon Sep 05, 2022 2:19 pm by Tommy Monk
» Why should anyone believe anything that Mo Farah says...!?
Wed Jul 13, 2022 1:44 am by Tommy Monk
» Liverpool Labour defends mayor role poll after turnout was only 3% and they say they will push ahead with the option that was least preferred!!!
Mon Jul 11, 2022 1:11 pm by Tommy Monk
» Labour leader Keir Stammer can't answer the simple question of whether a woman has a penis or not...
Mon Jul 11, 2022 3:58 am by Tommy Monk
» More evidence of remoaners still trying to overturn Brexit... and this is a conservative MP who should be drummed out of the party and out of parliament!
Sun Jul 10, 2022 10:50 pm by Tommy Monk
» R Kelly 30 years, Ghislaine Maxwell 20 years... but here in UK...
Fri Jul 08, 2022 5:31 pm by Original Quill