Our ability to analyze  the human genome is certainly providing insight.  And, challenging (at least some of) our (religion’s) concept of free will, at the same time.

A new report has determined that one gene, associated with alcoholism, tends to have us form friends that are also alcoholics.  Another gene, one linked to openness to new ideas and metabolism of foreign bodies in our corpus (including nicotine), seems to drive us to avoid others who carry this gene.

This study, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, employed the data from the Framingham Heart Study and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Drs. Fowler, Settler and Christakis have published several papers, based upon their analyses of these data sources.   (These two data sources were used because genetic data on friends is  readily available in these studies.) The researchers monitored six genes among some 5000 subjects, but specifically the occurrence of two of the genes provided the conclusions for the article.

DRD2 (dopamine D2 receptor) is the gene associated with alcoholism.  Those who had this gene tend to have friends that also have this marker.  CYP2A6, the cytochrome gene associated with foreign body metabolism and openness, leads people with the gene to avoid those of us who also have this gene marker. [The cytochrome gene data may explain the “opposites attract” theory for friendship, Now, before you jump to even more conclusions, remember that we may find our friends in the bar (or saloon) where we drink. And, many geneticists are poo-pooing the results because only six genes were studied- not the thousands that may be necessary for a conclusive study.]

But, these early indications may explain why we seemingly develop instantaneous likes and dislikes to people we meet.  The question is how we identify such genotypes when we don’t have the genetic test results in front of us.

Share this: