Genetics is, relatively speaking, a very young science. After the discovery of DNA only a couple of decades ago, it stopped being solely a statistical and psychological study of heredity, and ever since then it has been given a very important component in its labs: a microscope. In simple words, we are now able to dive more deeply into the world of genes and their government of the human body and behavior. In this short time we learned a great deal of human genetics and how it works. Many genes are already identified in relation to how we act and interact with others and our environment. Let's discuss some of them that already earned cool nicknames in relation to what they are capable of or what we think and suspect they do.
The mixture of genes we own is given to us by our parents, which they inherited from their parents, who were gifted with the same from their own mothers and fathers, and so on. What is finally our DNA composed of? It basically defines us and not just our looks and physical properties but also our behavior. For example, there is a 'wanderlust gene' that some of us have that is dominant and drives a person toward adventurous behavior and an everlasting desire for travel and the search for the unknown. The other example is a 'warrior gene' that in many cases explains somebody's aggressiveness and violent behavior. There's even a 'god gene', a molecule identified with a power to direct a person to be superstitious and religious. Imagine what happens if these three genes become dominant in a single person who, by chance, becomes the leader of a country with worldwide influence.
In regards to human behavior, the main question is: what has dominant influence—the environment or genetics of a person? The best results, of course, are given by a statistical study of separated identical twins who, after reunion, showed many similarities in personalities even though they were raised in different families and environments. However, we should not underestimate environmental influence simply because if behavior came to be the result of complex multiple genes doing, they could not have detectable effect due to environmental impact. For example, even if you have a warrior gene, it's influence could be buried if you are raised in a loving family without much violent disturbance from the others. Even more, in such scenarios it could help you with more positive influence than negative; for example, in your sport's career, it is always better to act with a sort of allowed aggressiveness.
With a disclaimer in mind of me not being a genetics scientist, please find more info in referral links throughout this post, and instead, in today's spirit, let me introduce half a dozen coolly identified genes or candidates, in many cases, responsible for various human key behaviors.
Wanderlust gene
DRD4-7R
The key word here is dopamine, a hormone and neurotransmitter responsible for many different features in our brain (including autonomous movement of muscles). However, in this particular case, dopamine is released in hedonistic situations, when we experience something nice and pleasurable. The more hedonistic we are, the smaller thing or event can trigger enough release of a dopamine in our brain, like the taste of enjoyable food, reading a book, or seeing a photo. Other people have lower sensitivity to dopamine, and for those (up to 20% of the population) who contain the DRD4-7R gene, which is a variant of the DRD4 dopamine receptor, eating pleasurable chocolate is not enough to release the level of dopamine in order to receive a hedonistic reward. These people always seek more from their environment because they need more stimulation in order to hit a satisfying level of dopamine. If their environment is not enough, they take risks and move to another, much like nomadic people do or all those large migrations of people in history who move to another area without obvious reason even though the environment they were initially inhabited was as good as the new one. If you ever said aloud that you like very much to travel to various different places no matter what, remember it might be DRD4-7R talking.
Refs:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travel-truths/the-wanderlust-gene/
https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/explainer-what-dopamine
https://www.verdict.co.uk/drd4-7r-wanderlust-gene/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/is-there-really-a-wanderlust-gene
Warrior gene
MAO-A
MAO (monoamine oxidase A) is the name of the enzyme that acts in nerve cells (neurons) of the brain as a recycling factor for neurotransmitters, and in the process of oxidation it breaks down serotonin, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine among all the brain chemicals it deals with. Signals transmitted by serotonin regulate mood and emotion; epinephrine and norepinephrine control the body's response to stress, while we already know that dopamine controls physical movements. MAO-A gene is responsible for MAO regulation, and in people who have a variant of the "warrior gene" (low-activity form of the gene called MAOA-L), less MAO is produced, which means that fewer of the neurotransmitters are broken down, which in turn leaves higher levels of unwanted neurotransmitters in the brain. For all we know from various past studies, higher levels of these brain chemicals produce higher levels of aggression, and as a result, these people feel less or no empathy for others, and they basically don't hesitate to use any form of anti-social behavior, including violence, to achieve their own goals, whatever they are.
Refs:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monoamine_oxidase_A
https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene/MAOA#
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/.../triggering-the-warrior-gene-in-villain-or-hero
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090121093343.htm
Creativity gene
COMT-DRD2
If you are able to produce something that is both novel, useful, and closely related to human development, whether it belongs to an individual or societal level, you are among people with creative minds who won on the genetic lottery. Similar to the hedonistic process in our brain, according to several studies in previous decades, dopamine is also the key hormone responsible for the creative process. More accurately, dopamine levels in multiple brain areas enhance interaction between frontal and striatal dopaminergic pathways (dopamine neuron location in brain), which is believed to lead toward creative thinking and reward after something new is either achieved or produced. While responsible genes involved in dopamine transmission and generation of just enough dopamine levels needed for creativity is still an ongoing process, two genes are the most promising candidates: COMT and DRD2, both for their single involvement in the process as well as in their prior interaction.
Refs:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3995040/
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-04-dopamine-producing-areas-brain-creativity.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4718590/
God gene
VMAT2
Unfortunately, due to the sensitive subject, research in regards to spirituality is not covered enough and was more or less conducted by a single experiment. The target were monoamines—the main brain chemicals, including serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine—that are connected with regulation of fundamental functions such as mood, creativity, and motor control, like we already saw with previous genes. They are also the main target for many antidepressant drugs and narcotics, which in turn can cause addicts to experience transcendence or experience beyond normal and even physical level of existence. In similar but much benevolent fashion, a variation in a gene known as VMAT2, in that single study, was identified to be responsible for all test subjects who experienced self-transcendence compared to others that didn't have that particular variant. Whether or not this is enough to call this gene a 'god gene' is debatable, but it does prove that brain chemicals encoded by specific genes can in fact affect the spiritual realm of people. In addition to external chemicals that might induce spiritual thinking and religions experiences, we also should not exclude parasitic influences such as Toxoplasma gondii, which I already mentioned in the post Who's Behind the Wheel?
Refs:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2262126/
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7147-genes-contribute-to-religious-inclination/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_gene
http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/socialSciences/ppecorino/.../Genetic-Basis-for-Religion.htm
Love gene
OXT
Hypothalamus activity includes the production of the hormone oxytocin encoded by the OXT gene. The 'love hormone', as it was named after its features and properties, is also linked to social behavior. Activity of the OXT gene and production of the hormone can vary from person to person, and those with low activity struggle more to identify the emotional expressions of others, including people in their relationships and family members. Perhaps more than with other genes, OXT is tested in correlation to the process called DNA methylation, in which methyl groups are added to DNA segments without changing their sequence. In life, this can be triggered by environmental influences and bad lifestyle factors such as smoking or diet. In turn, when methylation increases on the OXT gene, less oxytocin is produced, and this impacts social behavior to the worst. Like with anything else and especially with genetics, balance could be the key word, and further research could lead to potential treatments that could effectively fix social disorders.
Refs:
https://www.voanews.com/a/mht-love-hormone-gene...oxt-oxytocin/3387692.html
https://www.techtimes.com/articles/...people-form-healthy-lasting-relationships-study.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxytocin
Mad Scientist gene
DARPP-32
The coolest name for the gene goes to... DARPP-32, a variation within a gene that, not surprisingly, is also capable of affecting levels of dopamine hormone, this time in the area that influences feelings of anger and aggression. The twist with this gene is in the fact that a particular variant is also associated with increased performance in a number of cognitive tests, including IQ and memory. Actually, three out of four people inherit a version of the DARPP-32 gene, which, by improving information processing in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, in simple words, allows and improves the brain's ability to think. These two effects combined will not give us mad scientists per se, but it does explain the strange behavior and fears of some people with high IQs from the past. I am not saying that Tesla's strange fear of shaking hands or Einstein's hatred for socks is granted by this gene, but I am sure the genetic lottery in one way or another is the one to blame in a high percentage.
Refs:
https://www.bionews.org.uk/page_91056
https://www.elitedaily.com/life/culture/genius-little-crazy/995625
https://www.medicaldaily.com/.../mad-scientist-stereotype
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1784004/
Smoking and drinking genes
CHRNA5, OPRM1
There are several genes associated with smoking, nicotine dependence, and lung cancer, but among them the variant of CHRNA5 is the most prominent candidate. The process is identified as nicotine-stimulated dopamine release in the striatum (a cluster of neurons in the subcortical basal ganglia of the forebrain), a region vital to the development of substance dependence but also a reward learning center. Combined, people with this particular variant are more likely to overcome casual and environmental intake of nicotine and become heavily addicted to smoking. Similarly, the OPRM1 gene has been associated with subjective responses to alcohol with heavy drinkers. The 'G variant' of this gene may lead to a greater susceptibility not only to addiction to alcohol but also to variations in pain sensitivity and addiction to opioid substances.
Refs:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/chrna5
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4000030/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23240711
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5152594/
https://drbrucekehr.com/oprm1-gene-test-addiction-genetic-testing/
In conclusion, let's get back to the beginning: the genetics and especially the study of human behavior are merely at the beginning of understanding all the processes that govern our brain on the smallest levels within organic chemistry. However, we don't need any science to attribute human behavior with a strange ability to give nicknames to everything and anything. Genes are no exceptions, and hopefully you have identified some of them shaping who you are and how you behave. I know I have.
Image refs:
https://www.eturbonews.com/238528/non-stop-travel-destinations-for-the-adventurous/
http://knrunity.com/post/general/2016/post-787.php
https://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding/warrior-based-training.html
https://blog.lifeway.com/explorethebible/blog/why-young-adults-need-bible-skills/
https://www.thebump.com/a/ways-for-dad-to-bond-with-baby
https://www.inverse.com/article/7576-best-mad-scientists
https://coach.nine.com.au/latest/red-wine-and-smoking/
Refs:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/.../what-behaviors-do-we-inherit-genes
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3052688/
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/ap-biology/heredity/environmental-effects-on-phenotype/a/genes-environment-and-behavior
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_study