What role does our DNA play in our behavior?

Whether it is our personality or our addictive tendencies, our genetic heritage plays an undeniable role in many of our behaviors. In many cases, almost half of the variability in our actions is due to our genome, leaving just as much to come from our environment through our upbringing, life experiences or culture.

Understanding hereditary behaviors

To speak of hereditary behavior is to refer to behaviors having a genetic basis and which are transmitted from generation to generation. These behaviors include social interaction patterns, intelligence, personality traits, and addiction tendencies, with or without substances.

Numerous genetic and twin studies have shown that some people are more likely to be aggressive or to develop mood disorders, such as depression or bipolar disorder. Genetic inheritance also explains a significant part in the five fundamental dimensions of human personalities: extroversion, emotional stability, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness.

Epigenetics and gene-environment interaction

Genetics cannot be reduced to a single gene responsible for a behavior or tendency. Most behaviors result from the complex interaction of several genes and environmental factors.

Epigenetics is the field of research that studies how the environment can modify the expression of genes that are turned on or off, which can have a significant impact on our health, development and behavior. Its aim, among other things, is to pave the way for more effective treatments, but also to take into account the uniqueness of each person and the role of the environment.

Some of these epigenetic modifications are not always permanent. Some may be reversible, meaning that changes in gene expression can be adjusted by changing one’s environment, diet, lifestyle, physical activity or stress management.

Find out more: “Can we free ourselves from our genes?” by Ariane Giacobino.