RedOrbit Staff & Wire Reports
A person’s DNA may play a key role in whether or not they are nice, kind and generous, claim the authors of a new study published in the journal Psychological Science.
The research, which was led by University at Buffalo psychologist Michel Poulin, focuses on two hormones — oxytocin and vasopressin — which can “inspire feelings of love and generosity when they flood our brains,” according to Life’s Little Mysteries Staff Writer Natalie Wolchover.
These hormones attach to different types of the molecules known as receptors and wind up bound to neurons, Wolchover explains, and Poulin and his colleagues have discovered that a person with one type of receptor is more likely to be a nice person than those who have other versions.
According to an April 9 University of Buffalo press release, Poulin and his colleagues surveyed study participants via the Internet in regards to several different topics, including civic responsibility, their fellow men and women, charitable activities, and the world in general.
They posed such questions as to whether or not people had a duty to report crimes or pay taxes, whether or not they participated in charitable activities, whether or not people were basically good, and whether the world as a whole was more good or evil.
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