Nature v Nurture: Are Genes or Environment More Important?

The age-old debate: are you the way you are because of your genes or your environment? In the nature versus nurture debate, nature refers to all your genetic and hereditary factors, whereas nurture refers to all the environmental factors, including childhood experiences and relationships, the way a person was raised, and their culture. But which of these plays the most important role in making someone the way they are?

It is widely accepted that both nature and nurture play a role in a person’s behaviour, traits, characteristics, and personality, but it is frequently debated as to whether they have a 50:50 impact or whether one has more sway over the other. The Centre for Education and Youth have a very clever way of responding to this question. They begin by asking ‘how do you work out the area of a rectangle?’. As we all know, we’d work out the area of a rectangle by multiplying its length by its width; then they go on to ask, ‘what’s more important for calculating the area of a rectangle, the length, or the width?’, with the answer, of course, being neither. This is very simple way of explaining the nature v nurture debate, because, just as with a rectangle, it is both factors that play an important role in the product, and it is next to impossible to determine which factor is more important. Instead, it is the complex interaction between our genes and environment which determine a person’s behaviour and personality.

This theory is backed up by twin studies. If it was only our environment which impacted our personality and behaviour, then you’d expect few similarities between identical twins (who share 100% of their DNA), who grow up apart from one another. However, we have seen that identical twins share similarities, even if they have been raised in different environments, suggesting genetic factors play a big role in personality and behaviour. However, twin studies have also shown that there are more similarities between identical twins if they are raised together, rather than apart, suggesting that environmental factors also play a big role in development of personalities and behaviour.

So how exactly do our genes and environment interact? Let’s look at an example: if a person has a set of genes which help them build up muscle mass easily, they may perform better in sports, and therefore play and enjoy more sport. If this person has a child, the child may inherit the same genes which help build up muscle mass. The child is also more likely to be brought up in an environment where they are heavily exposed to sports, both on television and via parental participation, which in-turn may lead the child to play and perform better in sports too. Therefore, it was the interaction between the inherited genes, as well as the shaping of the child’s environment, which impacted the child to perform well in sport.

Overall, it appears that nature and nurture are both equally important in developing a person’s personality and behaviour. You can have a gene which increases your likelihood to have a particular personality trait or behaviour, but it does not wholly determine whether you will have these traits. Instead, it is our environment which unlocks our genes, and it is the combination of both nature and nurture which determine who we become.

References

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-nature-versus-nurture-2795392

https://cfey.org/2021/03/genetic-nurture-a-new-approach-to-understanding-genes-environment-and-education/

https://www.explorepsychology.com/nature-vs-nurture/

https://www.thoughtco.com/nature-vs-nurture-1420577

https://kpu.pressbooks.pub/evpsych/chapter/human-behavior-nature-or-nurture/

 

Disclaimer

The information in this blog is for information and entertainment purposes only. I am not a medical professional, so I have never and will never give medical advice in this blog. You should always speak to a healthcare professional about your unique health needs. My opinions are entirely my own and do not reflect the organisations or people I work for. I only discuss published literature in this blog which are referenced with links.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Testing: Put Your Genes Under the Microscope

What do you think of when someone says ‘Mutation’? The X-men? A zombie apocalypse? In reality, a mutation is simply a naturally occurring, random change in a gene. These mutations often have no effect, but occasionally, they can be harmful; for example, they could increase a person’s risk of developing cancer, a genetic disorder, and other rare diseases. However, scientists can detect these gene changes through genetic testing. There are several types of genetic testing, and they can be used to test individuals at different life stages: pre-natal testing detects harmful mutations in a foetus before birth; childhood testing is usually used to confirm a medical diagnosis or predict whether a disorder may develop and therefore requires observation. Any mutations detected during pre-natal and childhood testing are usually due to an inherited genetic mutation; conversely, adult genetic testing is used to predict late-onset genetic disorders, usually caused by mutations that occur in that ...
Read more

Year of Genetics

Compared to other areas of science, the history of genetics is relatively short. This means that there are vast amounts of genetic phenomena which are still unknown.   This is very exciting, because it means that we are living in an age where we can experience breakthroughs in science which can impact a wide range of people, in real time. Every year we have seen new discoveries in genetics, and the last twelve months have been no exception. Personally, I feel the biggest breakthrough in genetics this year has been how genetics is becoming part of mainstream awareness, and terms like ‘Spike protein’, ‘T-cells’, ‘antibodies’, ‘viral variant’ and more have become common in everyday language. This is in part due to scientists and medical professionals and some politicians who have made it their duty to help the public understand the complexity of the pandemic, epidemiology, and public health guidelines in a way that anyone can understand. It is no surprise that a lot of the breakth...
Read more

Zombies: Can Gene Editing Cause an Apocalypse?

Scientists have long known that our DNA sequences can and do change. These changes can occur naturally or following exposure to mutagens or viral infections. Differences in DNA sequences are the reason that we have different coloured hair, are different heights, and have different eye colours. Changes in DNA sequence also mean that we can develop genetic disorders; early onset Alzheimer’s, some cancers, HIV and Cystic Fibrosis are all examples of disorders caused by changes in the DNA sequence. So, can we treat these disorders by changing the DNA sequence back? Gene editing is where DNA is added, removed, or altered at certain locations in the genome. Although gene editing is used in a wide range of situations, such as in the food industry, the first successful use of gene editing in humans was in 1995, when scientists were able to temporarily treat patients with severe immune system deficiency. Since then, advancements in gene therapy have come on leaps and bounds, and in 2020, the ...
Read more