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10 Traits You Didn’t Realize Were Genetic

You are the product of your parents. On a biological level, you are a combination of their two selves, all the way down to a shared, albeit blended, genetic makeup. And it is this pairing that will have a huge impact on what makes you, you. Your hair color, your eye color, how tall you are, whether you have dimples, whether your hair is curly or straight, and so much more are determined on a genetic level. However, those aren’t the only things that influence you and the person you’ve become, rather, much like the saying goes, “we are products of our environments,” and it is here that we find one of the oldest philosophical debates within psychology – nature versus nurture.

At its core, the debate is as follows: Nature refers to all of the genes and inherent factors that influence the person we are; from our physical appearance to our personalities. Nurture refers to all of the environmental influences in our lives, including childhood experiences, parental relationships, social standing, surrounding culture and more.

And while both undeniably play a part in the person we are to eventually become, the debate lies in what specific outcomes are determined by genetics and what are the result of our environment? While some are a lot more obvious than others, such as hair color and height, there are much more long-held notions about what were once thought to be environmental traits, may, in fact, be genetic. So before you start to yell at your kids, get mad at your friends, or look down on your coworkers, read this first, because it may just turn out that they are genetically destined to be the way they are.

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