Scientists find genes play part in how we look at life

Your genes play a role in determining your attitudes, from whether you like roller-coasters to your views on the death penalty, according to new research.

Scientists from two Canadian universities studied the attitudes of twins, looking for evidence that a person's views might be subject to genetic influences.

The research team believes it discovered this connection and reports its findings in the current issue of the American Psychological Association's Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Attitudes as diverse as your views on crossword puzzles to feelings about abortion are at least in part attributable to genetic factors, according to the authors. They do not make claims for a direct gene-to-attitude connection.

Instead, they suggest that inherited characteristics such as sociability or athletic skills lead a person to adopt particular attitudes.

"Presumably these characteristics predisposed individuals to form particular kinds of attitudes, thereby contributing to the genetic determination of individual differences in those attitudes," the authors said.

"For example, a person with inherited physical abilities such as good co-ordination and strength might be more successful at sports than less athletically inclined individuals, resulting in the more athletic person developing favourable attitudes toward sports."

The Canadian scientists tested this theory by surveying 336 pairs of adult twins, 195 identical and 141 fraternal twin pairs. They looked for answers to 30 attitude questions and believe they found some level of genetic influence for 26 of them. Six showed a very strong genetic influence.

Genes appeared to be most influential in three broad subject areas: "preservation of life", "equality" and "athleticism". The first included views on abortion, voluntary euthanasia, the death penalty and organised religion.

The second reflected views on issues such as making racial discrimination illegal, open-door immigration policies and generally "getting on" with others. The third encompassed views on organised sport and exercise.

The largest genetic connection in attitudes was found on issues including opinions on abortion without restriction, the death penalty for murder, going on roller-coaster rides and playing organised sports.

Areas where the genetic influence seemed to be weakest were when the subjects gave views on intellectual pursuits such as reading, doing crossword puzzles and playing chess.

The four areas discovered by the researchers to have no genetic influence were on separate roles for men and women, playing bingo, easy access to birth control and being assertive.

The team acknowledged that "non-shared environmental factors", the unique experiences of each member of a twin pair, made the most powerful contribution to attitudes.

A person's inherited traits and the personality characteristics they deliver did, however, appear to have a marked influence on the attitudes expressed, the authors concluded.