Do We Really Control Our Personality?

A pattern recognition question from an IQ test.

One of the longest-standing scientific debates remains controversial today, and it’s the answers to these question: what determines who we are? Do our genes determine our choices, or do we have the ability to create our own personalities and preferences? We like to think that, to an extent, we have control of ourselves. We think that the foods we like, the profession we choose, and the way we respond to anger are created by unique experiences only we have. We can think that we like or dislike something based on our own experiences and upbringing. However, some studies have shown that your genetics may play a bigger role in that than people realize.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have no control over who you are, but rather shows the complex ways that both nature and nurture have in curating a person. Intelligence, mental health, personality, and social skills are affected in some way by the genetic code. There are ways that one’s environment and upbringing could stifle or reduce the impact that a genetically predetermined trait has, however.

While school and environment play a role in intelligence, heritability determines that 60% of intelligence is genetic. Accordingly, in twin studies, it has been found that twins raised together versus apart show little difference in IQ, regardless of differences in environment or upbringing. Problem-solving and learning capabilities are both factors in IQ and education that are influenced by DNA, rather than entirely environment or teachers.

And intelligence, in a way, is also a factor in personality, another aspect of a human being that is partially developed by genetics. This is arguably the most controversial in the debate, and reasonably so- most want to believe that they have a unique life that gave them their unique self. Some can say they are “organized” because they were raised that way, or very extroverted as a result of having lots of friends when they were younger.  Strangely to some, these traits are actually more determined by genes. When one hears “You have your dad’s hardworking mindset” or “you and your mom are both very sarcastic,” It might not be too much of an exaggeration to say that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Since genes can also determine prominent characteristics, such as temperament, anxiety, or optimism, they can affect how someone views life. For example, if someone has a short temper, the way they react and process stimuli might be different from someone who has generally low anxiety. This, in turn, would affect personality

Mental health and the likelihood/extent of some disorders, such as ADHD or depression, could be inherited. Of course, many factors cause different mental states and health outcomes, but the process of handling that stress and how much it affects a person is largely determined by genes. In other words, the genes lay the foundation, while our influences and environments can alter around it slightly. For instance, a person can have a genetic predisposition for a likelihood of depression, but be triggered by a distressful experience, increasing the extent to which the state impacts them. Meanwhile, a person who does not have this same predisposition, while they can still become stressed by the same situation, won’t have the same impact as the other.

In the correct environment, gene sequences can actually be turned “off”, essentially changing the gene code, and altering life experiences. Certain life experiences, such as culture or a wealth stance, could definitely have more of an impact on one’s mindset rather than just their genetic code, since it is an entire lifestyle. If it is a part of one’s culture to remain stoic and calm, and if the person is naturally expressive, they would be seen as an outcast at first before slowly conforming throughout their life.

Neubauer’s twin studies, though controversial for ethical concerns, revealed important stories. Involving multiple sets of twins, and even triplets, the children were separated at birth from their siblings to test what similarities boiled down to nature or nurture. However, the consent of the child participants was not obtained, and the adopted families or siblings were left uninformed that they had a twin/triplet in the first place. The sets of children were visited over a long period of time and would be administered personality and IQ tests, before the process slowly came to a stop as rules and regulations got stricter. But what they found was that twins, who had never seen each other and had different households and siblings, would exhibit the same mannerisms and even hobbies.