4 ms·

Genetic predisposition? that's opening up a can of worms. "Begorah is it cos I am irish" - Adopts stereotypical fighting drunkard pose.

BurningFrog 8y ago
First law of Behaviour Genetics: All human behavioural traits are heritable. https://teammccallum.wordpress.com/3-laws-of-behaviour-genetics/ https://teammccallum.wordpress.com/3-laws-of-behaviour-genet...
- smt88 8y ago
  And then further down the page: > ”All traits are heritable” is a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much. So I guess it's not a law after all.
- stcredzero 8y ago
  First law of Behaviour Genetics: All human behavioural traits are heritable. (As noted elsewhere, almost all.) I was watching an Aydin Paladin video, and IIRC, she mentioned one study which found that genetic factors explained 41% of variation in infidelity and 38% variation in number of sexual partners. https://youtu.be/KET2JncpJ7o?t=1028 https://youtu.be/KET2JncpJ7o?t=1028 Cherkas, L. F., Oelsner, E. C., Mak, Y. T., Valdes, A., & Spector, T. D. (2004). Genetic influences on female infidelity and number of sexual partners in humans: a linkage and association study of the role of the vasopressin receptor gene (AVPR1A). Twin Research and Human Genetics, 7(6), 649-658. Another citation from that video: Garver-Apgar, C. E., Gangestad, S. W., Thornhill, R., Miller, R. D., & Olp, J. J. (2006). Major histocompatibility complex alleles, sexual responsivity, and unfaithfulness in romantic couples. Psychological Science, 17(10), 830-835. So much for the ideology of the Blank Slate. Atheism of the 2000's got this much right: Human beings are conscious and sentient, which is wonderful, but we are also animals subject to biology. That's just messy reality, and we'd best deal with it.
  - bduerst 8y ago
    Did they control for regional cultural attitudes towards sex? For example, these genetic factors could correlate with people whose hereditary upbringing was in a more promiscuous culture, but not necessarily causing it. Edit: Your first citation says they didn't find a link between infidelity and genetics, but did with environment.
    - stcredzero 8y ago
      Did they control for regional cultural attitudes towards sex? It was a twin study entirely within the UK. Edit: Your first citation says they didn't find a link between infidelity and genetics, but did with environment. I don't think that's correct. I think you are willfully reading what you want, and your paraphrase leaves out a key detail. Our findings demonstrate that infidelity and number of sexual partners are both under moderate genetic influence (41% and 38% heritable, respectively) and the genetic correlation between these two traits is strong (47%). Conversely, attitudes towards infidelity are driven by shared and unique environmental, but not genetic, influences. The study found that environmental factors shape attitude towards infidelity, but "infidelity and number of sexual partners are both under moderate genetic influence." https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/39d8/8c23b2535946c1a6be744805dc00e8bfee5e.pdf https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/39d8/8c23b2535946c1a6be7448...
mruts 8y ago
It may not be politically correct, but it's true. Genetic factors have a huge influence in regards to addiction, metabolism, diseases, etc.
- trevyn 8y ago
  For alcohol use, huge in comparison to peer influence, though?
  - mruts 8y ago
    If both are statistically significant factors, I see nothing wrong with talking about both.
- camjohnson26 8y ago
  Genetics can impact your personality but that doesn’t mean you don’t have will power. If all behavior is genetic then eugenics should be morally justifiable since you can improve humanity by cleaning up the gene pool.
  - cm2012 8y ago
    Will power is inheritable.
    - camjohnson26 8y ago
      You control your willpower.
      - cm2012 8y ago
        You control the things you do. Willpower is a trait like IQ or being tall.
        camjohnson26 8y ago
        Which is exactly what I said. Genetics determine how much willpower you have, then you control what you do with it.
jowday 8y ago
There's a definite genetic component to addiction and alcoholism. Anecdotally, people seem increasingly aware of this - several friends of mine who have alcoholics in their family abstain from drinking entirely knowing they're predisposed to developing a problem.
dsfyu404ed 8y ago
>"Begorah is it cos I am irish" - Adopts stereotypical fighting drunkard pose. "Connor, chill out. You've had 26 beers." "You're damn right I have and I'm gonna have six more"

BurningFrog 8y ago

First law of Behaviour Genetics: All human behavioural traits are heritable. https://teammccallum.wordpress.com/3-laws-of-behaviour-genetics/ https://teammccallum.wordpress.com/3-laws-of-behaviour-genet...

smt88 8y ago
And then further down the page: > ”All traits are heritable” is a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much. So I guess it's not a law after all.
stcredzero 8y ago
First law of Behaviour Genetics: All human behavioural traits are heritable. (As noted elsewhere, almost all.) I was watching an Aydin Paladin video, and IIRC, she mentioned one study which found that genetic factors explained 41% of variation in infidelity and 38% variation in number of sexual partners. https://youtu.be/KET2JncpJ7o?t=1028 https://youtu.be/KET2JncpJ7o?t=1028 Cherkas, L. F., Oelsner, E. C., Mak, Y. T., Valdes, A., & Spector, T. D. (2004). Genetic influences on female infidelity and number of sexual partners in humans: a linkage and association study of the role of the vasopressin receptor gene (AVPR1A). Twin Research and Human Genetics, 7(6), 649-658. Another citation from that video: Garver-Apgar, C. E., Gangestad, S. W., Thornhill, R., Miller, R. D., & Olp, J. J. (2006). Major histocompatibility complex alleles, sexual responsivity, and unfaithfulness in romantic couples. Psychological Science, 17(10), 830-835. So much for the ideology of the Blank Slate. Atheism of the 2000's got this much right: Human beings are conscious and sentient, which is wonderful, but we are also animals subject to biology. That's just messy reality, and we'd best deal with it.
- bduerst 8y ago
  Did they control for regional cultural attitudes towards sex? For example, these genetic factors could correlate with people whose hereditary upbringing was in a more promiscuous culture, but not necessarily causing it. Edit: Your first citation says they didn't find a link between infidelity and genetics, but did with environment.
  - stcredzero 8y ago
    Did they control for regional cultural attitudes towards sex? It was a twin study entirely within the UK. Edit: Your first citation says they didn't find a link between infidelity and genetics, but did with environment. I don't think that's correct. I think you are willfully reading what you want, and your paraphrase leaves out a key detail. Our findings demonstrate that infidelity and number of sexual partners are both under moderate genetic influence (41% and 38% heritable, respectively) and the genetic correlation between these two traits is strong (47%). Conversely, attitudes towards infidelity are driven by shared and unique environmental, but not genetic, influences. The study found that environmental factors shape attitude towards infidelity, but "infidelity and number of sexual partners are both under moderate genetic influence." https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/39d8/8c23b2535946c1a6be744805dc00e8bfee5e.pdf https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/39d8/8c23b2535946c1a6be7448...

mruts 8y ago

It may not be politically correct, but it's true. Genetic factors have a huge influence in regards to addiction, metabolism, diseases, etc.

trevyn 8y ago
For alcohol use, huge in comparison to peer influence, though?
- mruts 8y ago
  If both are statistically significant factors, I see nothing wrong with talking about both.
camjohnson26 8y ago
Genetics can impact your personality but that doesn’t mean you don’t have will power. If all behavior is genetic then eugenics should be morally justifiable since you can improve humanity by cleaning up the gene pool.
- cm2012 8y ago
  Will power is inheritable.
  - camjohnson26 8y ago
    You control your willpower.
    - cm2012 8y ago
      You control the things you do. Willpower is a trait like IQ or being tall.
      - camjohnson26 8y ago
        Which is exactly what I said. Genetics determine how much willpower you have, then you control what you do with it.

jowday 8y ago

There's a definite genetic component to addiction and alcoholism. Anecdotally, people seem increasingly aware of this - several friends of mine who have alcoholics in their family abstain from drinking entirely knowing they're predisposed to developing a problem.

dsfyu404ed 8y ago

>"Begorah is it cos I am irish" - Adopts stereotypical fighting drunkard pose. "Connor, chill out. You've had 26 beers." "You're damn right I have and I'm gonna have six more"