Are you a gregarious extravert? Or a meticulous organizer? The answer may, in part, be written in your genes.
Researchers writing in Nature have identified over 1,200 genetic variants linked to the Big Five personality traits, including extraversion and conscientiousness. The researchers note the influence of any single variant was minuscule, but a constellation of variants associated with a particular trait appeared more impactful.
“There is no single ‘personality gene,” Ted Schwaba, lead author of this study and faculty at Michigan State University’s Department of Psychology, said in a statement. “However, even though any individual genetic variant makes very little difference in personality, the effects of many variants together can be more sizeable.”
This supports years of research suggesting personality is shaped both by genetics and the environment, or nature and nurture. Schwaba and colleagues’ findings also highlight how these traits can affect life and health outcomes, from your likelihood of being admitted to hospital to your preference for an early bedtime.
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What Are The Big Five Personality Traits
The Big Five is often used by researchers to measure personality traits. Rather than attempt to type people into a specific box or category, the Big Five assumes there are five key dimensions to a person’s personality. These dimensions can be thought of as a spectrum, with each of us falling somewhere along the line depending on how much or how little of the associated characteristics we display.
Explore All OptionsThe first of these dimensions is extraversion. High levels are associated with sociability, assertiveness, and energy, whereas those with lower levels tend to be quiet, reserved, and require less social engagement.
The second, agreeableness, is linked to compassion and trustworthiness; the third, conscientiousness, is associated with organization, productivity, and responsibility; and the fourth, neuroticism, is linked to anxiety, depression, and emotional volatility.
The fifth and final dimension is openness to experience. High scorers are often perceived as imaginative, curious and highly attuned to art and nature. Low scorers might be considered more pragmatic and traditional, with a preference for routine and stability.
The Link Between Personality And Genes
Previous research has already identified a link between a person’s personality and their DNA, with studies showing closely related individuals display more similarities, even when they grow up apart.
To find out what variants might be responsible for these personality traits, Schwaba and colleagues analyzed results from 46 cohorts. Combined, these involved over a million (mostly European) participants, each of whom provided a DNA sample and completed a personality questionnaire.
For each cohort, self-reported data were compared with DNA samples to identify genetic variants associated with each trait. The findings from each cohort were then pooled together and studied.
In total, the team discovered more than 1,200 variants linked to personality, though they say there could be many thousands more.
Still, the researchers note even the largest effects for any individual variant were tiny. The average effect of a common genetic variant linked to extraversion, for example, only explained why someone might score in the 50.35th percentile as opposed to the 50th percentile.
In contrast, when an individual presented with many variants linked to a particular trait, the effect appears to be much greater.
Nature Versus Nurture
The team compared relatives' results to determine whether the genetic links were actually the result of upbringing. While their results suggest that this is unlikely, they highlight the importance of the environment in shaping personality.
Indeed, they say the two are often deeply interconnected — variants linked to openness to experience predicted a person would live in more cosmopolitan areas, which could, in turn, reinforce the trait.
Personality Impact On Life Outcomes
It’s not just where you choose to live. The study suggests that personality could impact several life outcomes, from health to career.
Conscientiousness, for example, was strongly correlated with lower levels of substance use, higher participation in sports and a tendency to choose low-calorie food. The result was that more conscientious folk tended to spend less time in hospital and aged more healthily.
The trait was also linked to greater daytime activity, in contrast to openness to experience, which was linked to more nighttime activity.
“We hope this study will encourage many other scientists to incorporate personality traits into their fields of study,” said Schwaba. “For example, genetic variants associated with neuroticism predict more time spent in the hospital, which is relevant to physicians and health researchers, and variants associated with openness to experience are linked to income and switching jobs, which is relevant to vocational researchers.”
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Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
- This article references information from a study published in Nature: Robust inference and correlates from genetic associations with personality
