Most people once heard something like "You have your mother's eyes, but the nature of your father". You will rarely hear someone say "I have agoraphobia, like my grandfather".
The DNA contains much more information than we can imagine. Although scientists still can not give a clear answer to the question of what has the greatest impact on people's character - environment, genes or upbringing, many studies have shown that we do not inherit only the appearance but also some "memories", such as phobias, for example.
Here are all traits inherited from ancestors and it is impossible to change them:
1. Phobias
Memories can be transmitted from generation to generation, but not in the form in which we are accustomed. This has been proven by a study in which mice are trained to avoid all smells similar to cherry blossoms. This affected DNA subjects: part of the DNA responsible for the sensitivity to this fragrance was more active in spermatozoa of mice-fathers. As a result, children and grandchildren were very sensitive to the cherry smell and they avoided it even though they had no real reason to do so. The experiment has shown that the traumatic experience affects DNA and the behavior of new generations. Scientists believe that the results of this study are important for the study of phobia, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Perhaps the sprawl is not irrational as it looks?
2. Extroversion
Some character traits are acquired over the years, and some have already been recorded in our DNA. For example, the genes WSCD2 and PCDH15 are associated with extroverts. Therefore, perhaps the reason that you are so social is in your ancestors, and not in the fact that your parents were enrolling in all possible extracurricular activities. In addition, there is a genetic link between extroverts and attention deficit and hyperactivity.
3. A sense of humor
Some people believe that the sense of humor is a trait that depends on the environment in which a person grows up. But, during the study it was found that people with short alleles on the 5-HTTLPR gene show positive reactions and more often laugh. People with short alleles laughed more often than people with longer alleles of the same genome. The results of the study were confirmed also when the age, gender, ethnicity and symptoms of depression were taken into account.
4. Susceptibility to stress
Some people are more susceptible to stress, and this feature is transmitted from parents to children. Experts say that if the mother was exposed to stress during pregnancy, her baby will be more prone to stress in her life. Moreover, if parents were stressed long before they got a baby, there is a risk that chronic stress has damaged chromosomes. However, there is no need to panic - changes due to stress on DNk can be reversed by meditation and behavioral therapy.
5. Dependency
The genes are 40-60% responsible for the development of addiction. For example, the relationship between dependence and the D2 gene has been studied to the detail. D2 is a type of dopamine receptor. People in whom these receptors do not work are well-suited to taking substances that cause dependence.
6. The ability to sleep and rest in a few hours
Some people can sleep less than 5 hours and work well again. There is a gene called Thatcher's gene after the prime minister who slept only 4 hours at night and was greatly felt. People with this genome not only sleep less but also perform better mental tasks after they have not slept for 38 hours. Otherwise, Thatcher is not the only one with this supermodel - Tomas Edison also slept less than 5 hours.
7. The tendency to save money
When it comes to money, our actions can be explained in 30% of cases by natural factors. Some people are genetically prone to saving money regardless of income, gender, and education. Such people rarely have bad habits such as smoking and are less prone to diabetes. This happens because they are more consistent in behavior and have better self-control thanks to their DNA.
8. Musicality
Genes play a greater role in exercising when it comes to musical talent, in particular the recognition of tone and rhythm. A study on identical twins showed that people who exercised less had better results than those who practiced more. One of the twins exercised 20,228 hours more than his brother, but he could not surpass his musical abilities. Scientists explain that some aspects of music talent lie in our genes.