How Genes Shape Your Risk Taking & Morals | Dr. Kathryn Paige Harden
Dr. Kathryn Paige Harden, a psychologist and behavioral geneticist, discusses how genes and environment interact to shape life trajectories, risk-taking, morality, and addiction. The conversation explores the biological underpinnings of human choice, sin, empathy, and forgiveness, highlighting sex differences and societal views on punishment.
Deep Dive Analysis
16 Topic Outline
Genes, Adolescence, and Life Trajectory
Pubertal Timing, Pace, and Epigenetic Clocks
Genetic Overlap in Addiction, Impulsivity, and Aggression
Early Neurodevelopmental Origins of Behavioral Disorders
Genetic Information, Personal Identity, and Decision Making
Nature vs. Nurture in Childhood Aggression and Sociopathy
The Concept of Original Sin and Genetic Predisposition
Free Will, Blame, and the Rescue-Blame Trap
Genetic Recombination and Breaking Generational Cycles
Positive Aspects of 'Negative' Traits and Social Hierarchies
Sex Differences in Aggression and Impulse Control
Effectiveness of Punishment vs. Reward in Behavior Shaping
Societal Punitiveness and the Lust for Punishment
Backward vs. Forward-Looking Justice and Forgiveness
Fairness, Inequality, and Cooperation in Society
Genetic Influence Across the Lifespan and Twin Differences
10 Key Concepts
Epigenome
The epigenome refers to everything on top of the genome that affects how DNA is used by the body and cells. It involves chemical tags, like methyl groups, that can attach to DNA and influence gene expression without changing the underlying DNA sequence.
Polygenic
Describes traits or disorders that are influenced by many, many genes, rather than just one or a few. Behaviors like addiction, impulsivity, and aggression are massively polygenic, meaning they are affected by genes distributed throughout the entire genome.
Neurodevelopmental Disorder
A condition resulting from impairments in the growth and development of the brain or central nervous system. Disorders like substance use disorders, ADHD, and conduct disorder are considered neurodevelopmental because their associated genes are most active during early brain development, particularly affecting the balance of inhibition and excitation.
Sensation-Seeking
A personality trait characterized by the pursuit of varied, novel, complex, and intense sensations and experiences, and the willingness to take physical, social, legal, and financial risks for the sake of such experiences.
Disinhibition
A lack of restraint manifested in disregard for social conventions, impulsivity, and poor risk assessment. It is one of three dimensions, alongside sensation-seeking and antagonism, often at play in behaviors like chronic drug use or impulsive aggression.
Relational Aggression
A type of aggression that harms others through damage to their relationships or social status, such as destroying someone's reputation, social standing, or making them feel isolated. It is often observed in girls and is predicted by similar genes that predict physical aggression in boys.
Original Sin (Cultural Concept)
A cultural and religious idea, particularly in some Christian traditions, that humans are born inherently bad, depraved, or broken. This concept influences societal perceptions of behavior, morality, and the self, often leading to interpretations of scientific findings as proof of inherent 'badness'.
Rescue-Blame Trap
A philosophical and psychological dilemma where people oscillate between blaming individuals for harmful actions due to their agency and excusing them due to mitigating factors like genes, brain conditions, trauma, or childhood environment. It highlights the difficulty in simultaneously holding someone responsible and acknowledging their circumstances.
Cruelty Currency
A concept, described by Nietzsche, suggesting that the pleasure derived from seeing a wrongdoer suffer acts as a form of 'payment' or 'currency' for the harm they caused. This implies a primitive human desire to punish and witness suffering, which can be seen in societal reactions like cancel culture.
Backward-looking vs. Forward-looking Justice
Backward-looking justice focuses on what a person deserves based on past actions and seeks to balance the scales of harm. Forward-looking justice, in contrast, focuses on how to best maximize the chances of preventing future harm and promoting positive change, rather than dwelling on past deservingness of punishment.
11 Questions Answered
Adolescence is a crucial period because it's when mental illnesses, substance use disorders, and risks for depression and psychotic episodes often emerge. It's also when individual differences become more apparent and life trajectories begin to solidify, making it a key time to study how genes and environment interact.
Adolescence typically begins with the physical changes of puberty, between ages 10 and 13, and can extend until around age 25, as individuals transition to reproductive and social maturity and take on adult roles.
For girls, early pubertal timing is associated with an increased risk for mental and physical health problems, earlier menopause, and a shorter lifespan. For boys, the pace of puberty (how quickly changes unfold) seems to be more impactful, with faster pace correlating with emotional development challenges.
Yes, there appears to be significant genetic commonality. Studies show that a family history of one of these behaviors increases the likelihood of manifesting any of the others, suggesting shared genetic influences that affect neurodevelopment, particularly the brain's balance of inhibition and excitation, very early in life.
Ethical concerns include the current limitations of polygenic scores in predicting individual outcomes, the potential for people to misinterpret low genetic risk as a 'license' for risky behavior, and individual differences in the desire for deliberate ignorance. Genetic information can also be perceived as defining one's 'truest self,' leading to essentialist and potentially dangerous interpretations.
Yes, antisocial behavior, including aggression against children or animals, before age 10, especially with 'cold callousness,' is a strong predictor of a life-course persistent pattern of antisocial offending. This suggests a heavy genetic and neurodevelopmental component with origins in early brain development, often preceding hormonal changes of puberty.
The underlying genetic etiology for disinhibition and self-regulation problems appears remarkably consistent across men and women. While men generally show higher rates of these behaviors, the disposition itself is similar. Girls tend to mature faster in impulse control than boys, with a decade-long gap in maturation.
Decades of psychological evidence suggest that punishing undesirable behavior is not as effective for shaping behavior as rewarding desired behavior. Harshness in punishment, whether for rats, children, or prisoners, does not reliably lead to better outcomes and can sometimes worsen behavior; instead, focusing on positive reinforcement and creating opportunities for desired behaviors is more effective.
Neuroscientific studies show that seeing someone suffer, if they are first portrayed as a wrongdoer, can activate reward pathways (dopamine) in the brain. This suggests a primitive human desire for retribution, which Nietzsche described as 'cruelty is a currency,' satisfying an urge to see others hurt when harm has been inflicted.
Identical twins can differ due to 'developmental noise,' which is the emergence of individuality from initial chaos and path dependence in development, not solely nature or nurture. Small, initially random variations in activity or environment can lead to diverging paths in personality and psychological experience over time, even with identical genotypes.
Heritability estimates, which measure how much differences between people are due to genetic differences, actually tend to increase with age. For cognition, heritability rises until around age 12, and for personality, it continues to increase until around age 30. This is partly because as people age, they increasingly select and shape their environments based on their genetically influenced traits.
13 Actionable Insights
1. Prioritize Reward Over Punishment
To effectively shape behavior in children, animals, or even in the criminal justice system, focus on rewarding desired behaviors rather than solely punishing undesired ones. Harsh punishment is generally less effective and can even worsen behavior, while providing opportunities for rewards within a structured environment is more successful.
2. Separate Blame from Accountability
When someone acts irresponsibly, hold them accountable for their actions without immediately resorting to harsh punishment or making them suffer. Instead, focus on creating an environment that encourages reflection, growth, and future behavioral change.
3. Establish Clear Boundaries
Implement clear consequences and boundaries for behavior in parenting and other social contexts, framing them as opportunities for growth and safety rather than solely punitive measures. This approach helps individuals understand expectations and develop better future conduct.
4. Focus on Future Behavior
When reflecting on past actions or regrets, shift focus from self-blame to identifying what needs to be done better in the future. Also, consider what actions are necessary to ensure others feel safe and secure around you going forward.
5. Navigate Rescue-Blame Trap
Understand that while ‘bad luck’ or circumstances may contribute to behavior, it does not negate personal responsibility. Hold individuals accountable without necessarily resorting to harsh punishment, focusing instead on constructive ways to address actions and ensure future safety.
6. Tailor Parenting to Child
As a parent, observe and understand your child’s unique temperament and personality, recognizing that risks (e.g., cannabis use) may differ between children. Use this knowledge to inform and shape their environment in a way that best supports their individual development.
7. Encourage Child Self-Reporting
Implement a rule where children are encouraged to report their own actions rather than tattling on siblings, and then focus discussions on future desired behaviors and collaborative solutions. This fosters personal responsibility and constructive conflict resolution.
8. Focus Energy on Local
To maintain emotional well-being and make a tangible difference, direct your energy and care towards local community actions rather than solely engaging with broader, often overwhelming, online discussions. This approach can feel more satisfying and effective.
9. Use Online Tools Wisely
Evaluate your use of online platforms and social media based on whether they facilitate real-life connections and actions. Prioritize engagement that enhances your real-world interactions and activities, and limit those that detract from them.
10. Avoid Genetic Essentialism
Do not interpret genetic information as defining your ‘deepest or truest self’ or as proof of inherent ‘badness’ or ‘brokenness.’ Recognize that human behavior is complex, influenced by many factors, and cannot be reduced to a single gene or phenotype.
11. Acknowledge Inherent Morality
Recognize that the human capacity for moral concern and the desire for fair treatment are deeply ingrained aspects of our nature, similar to fundamental drives like sexuality. This understanding can inform how we approach social interactions and justice.
12. View Each Child as Unique
Adopt the perspective that every child is ‘produced’ as a unique individual, rather than merely ‘reproduced’ as a copy of their parents. This mindset fosters an appreciation for the unpredictability and distinct identity of each offspring.
13. Practice Deliberate Ignorance
Consider practicing ‘deliberate ignorance’ by choosing not to engage with negative or unhelpful information, such as online comments, to protect your mental well-being. This can be a conscious choice to avoid information that doesn’t serve you.
6 Key Quotes
I think that it is a lust just as much as lust for substances or lust for sexual partners. It is a desire people want to see people punished.
Dr. Kathryn Paige Harden
Bad luck doesn't negate responsibility. It might not have been my fault, but it's still my responsibility. But holding people accountable doesn't have to mean harsh punishment. That the accountability doesn't mean making someone suffer.
Dr. Kathryn Paige Harden
I think that we really are at a place where we need more meta science, science about the science, in what is the most responsible way to give people access to their genetic information in a way that permits them to make the best choices.
Dr. Kathryn Paige Harden
I don't think anyone's bad. I don't think anyone's all good either. I think that humans are complicated and our behaviors are complicated and none of us can be reduced to one thing we've done or one gene we have or one aspect of our phenotype.
Dr. Kathryn Paige Harden
The thing that seems to predict it is the likelihood of getting caught and having other potential opportunities to get the rewards that you want in your social structure. But just increasing penalties for crime doesn't on average reduce crime.
Dr. Kathryn Paige Harden
People prefer inequality to unfairness. It's not things being unequal that they necessarily dislike. It's things being unfair. It's when the inequality feels unfair that people are like, no.
Dr. Kathryn Paige Harden
1 Protocols
Family Conflict Resolution Strategy
Dr. Kathryn Paige Harden- Each child reports only on their own actions, not on what their sibling did.
- Discuss what each individual did.
- Talk about what needs to happen in the future.
- Discuss what everyone needs to do to prevent similar arguments in the future.