Genes and behaviour
Many studies have linked genetic variations to differences in individuals' behaviour or traits such as intelligence (usually measured by IQ) or other qualities such as risk taking or leadership. However, all these studies are controversial and most have been refuted as more research is done.
The debate about the extent to which genetic differences explain behaviour is known as the "nature-nurture" debate. Many claims for an important role of genes come from twin studies, which are also controversial.
Psychiatric illness is very different from what is regarded as "normal" behaviour, but many of the concerns about behvioural genetic research also apply to genetic studies in psychiatry.
Resources
- Press articles
- Nature: Want to do better science? Admit you’re not objective (9th March 2020)
- The Guardian: Eugenics refuses to die - and now Andrew Sabisky has put it back in the headlines (19th February 2020)
- The Guardian: Sabisky row: Dominic Cummings criticised over 'designer babies' post (9th February 2020)
- Biopolitical Times: French scientists call for stop to "fake news" about genetics and intelligence (1st May 2018)
- Mad in America: Leon J. Kamin (1927-2017): A Nemesis of Genetic Determinism and Scientific Racism (4th April 2018)
- The Guardian: UCL to investigate eugenics conference secretly held on campus (11th January 2018)
- Aeon: Even if genes affect intelligence, we can't engineer cleverness (11th December 2017)
- External links