Why nurture beats nature

For two and a half years, researchers monitored adolescents, of whom received several health-advice mailings while the rest underwent counseling sessions with their families.

The gene affects transport through the brain of serotonin, a mood-regulating neurotransmitter, and its so-called short allele version has been associated with binge drinking and drug use. Among teens who received the mailings, carriers of the short allele 5-HTTLPR were twice as likely to have engaged in risky behavior.

In the counseling group, however, there was no difference between teens with the variant and without. There are far-reaching implications for such findings, and the Times reporter notes that the dominance of inherited traits over learned skills is an established notion in scientific research. The new study, however, notably concludes that based on this research, the current expectations placed on teachers might be unreasonable.

From the Times:. The researchers behind the study relied on test results and a battery of personal questions of 2, pairs of identical twins and 4, pairs of fraternal twins. The Times explains that identical twins share many inherited traits, while fraternal twins have far more variance. Because twins grow up in the same household, the effects of their environment can be judged to be similar, allowing researchers to find the effects other variables have on their performance.

Joe Biden. Donald Trump. White House. Kyle Rittenhouse. Adam Kinzinger. Anthony Gonzalez. Home Unfiled Nurture beats nature. Thursday, May 8,