Genome-Wide Study Links Over 1,200 Genetic Variants to Personality Traits
On September 2, a study published in Nature revealed more than 1,260 genetic variants associated with the Big Five personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. The research, spearheaded by Elliot Tucker-Drob and Michel Nivard, examined DNA and personality data from between 611,000 and 1.14 million individuals. These genetic variants account for merely 5 to 10 percent of the variations in personality. Notable findings include connections between extroversion variants and increased Covid-19 rates, agreeableness with reduced school suspensions, conscientiousness linked to lower substance use, and neuroticism variants tied to ten psychiatric disorders. The study also disputes the serotonin theory of neuroticism and advocates for personality assessments over genetic forecasts.
Key facts
- Study published in Nature on September 2
- Over 1,260 genetic variants associated with Big Five traits
- More than 800 variants newly identified
- Combined 46 study cohorts with up to 1.14 million participants
- Variants explain 5-10% of personality differences
- Extroversion variants linked to higher Covid-19 infection risk
- Neuroticism variants correlated with ten psychiatric disorders
- No strong genetic link between serotonin and neuroticism
Entities
Institutions
- University of Texas at Austin
- University of Bristol
- Princeton University
- Nature
- New York Times
- Time
Locations
- Austin
- United States
- Bristol
- England
- United Kingdom
- Princeton
- New Jersey