Jan 28 2009
Not Created Equal
Although our culture values equality and a system of government that aspires to treat all of its citizens equally, it is probably not true that any child could grow up to become president. Some children, suitably educated and interested, might have the wrong stuff. Genetically speaking.
Of course, with behavior and achievement genes rarely put up an outright barricade. Instead, one might say they set the slope of the rode ahead. While some individuals–thanks to their genetic makeup–can just about roll to their desired end, others must struggle mightily up a grade that may, in some cases, be insurmountable.
Am I speaking here of innate intellectual ability and subsequent achievement? Actually not. Some might call it social intelligence, but I’m not sure what to call it. Not yet.
For some time we’ve known that personality attributes have a strong genetic component. In the article beneath the title, Genetics Of Popularity: Genetic Influence In Social Networks Identified, I figured I’d discover one tied to popularity. But it seems more complicated than that –
While it might be expected that genes affect personality, these findings go further, and illustrate a genetic influence on the structure and formation of an individual’s social group.
Hmm. Social behavior that can be chalked up to something other than personality attributes? But personality and social behavior are so intertwined . . . how is that?
In brief, this is what the researchers did and found -
The study included national data (from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health) for the social networks of 1,110 adolescent twins, both fraternal and identical. The researchers compared the social networks of the identical twins to those of the fraternal twins, and found greater similarity between the identical twins’ social network structure than the fraternal twins’ networks.
I can understand how an introverted/inhibited child would feel less comfortable in social situations and because of that have difficulty developing the social skills and connections with peers needed to ascend to a position of leadership, for example. What I’m unsure of is what would happen if the researchers controlled for personality attributes.
An intriguing finding. I look forward to learning more.
Lastly, this “discussion” sentence from the article says a lot -
The findings also illuminate a previously unknown limitation of existing social network models, which had assumed that all members behave as interchangeable cogs.
Genes plus sexual reproduction equals diversity. Although I believe all “cogs” in our human societies should have equal rights and equal opportunity; it seems that in the realm of social relationships we are not born with equal inclinations and perhaps abilities to excel.
