| MadSci Network: Evolution |
Thank you for your interesting question. A simple response is that “it depends on who you ask.” Some psychologists believe that virtually all human behavior is due to the environment. These persons are often called radical behaviorists and are largely influenced by a psychologist by the name of B.F. Skinner. Other psychologists however believe that our behavior is largely determined by our genetic make-up. The true answer probably falls somewhere in between. If we take your question a step further we inevientbly become entangled in the great nature/nurture debate. Studies on identical and fraternal twins have established that most traits and behaviors are partially influenced by genes. This would also include what you call curiosity. However, most if not all human behaviors are influenced by both nature and nurture. For example, it appears that on the average, genetics account for half of the variance of most human traits. In terms of your question, some psychologists believe that curiosity (depending on how you define it) may be one of our strongest and most important traits. Note that this means that the environment accounts for the rest of the variability of traits between individuals. Interestingly, researchers are finding that the balance between genetic and environmental influences on certain traits change as people age. They also find that genes not only influence behavior directly but may also influence the environment. In other words, our experiences may be influenced in part by our genetic propensities, and we may choose certain experiences because they fit best with our innate preferences. So it is the interaction between nature and nurture that appears to be most important. My own personal opinion is that the balance between genetic and environmental influences probably varies across individuals. In other words, genetics may play a stronger role in some persons, but a lessor one on the same trait in other individuals (please note that I have no scientific support for this). So in short, the answer to your question is “yes”, genetics does have an influence on curiosity, but your environment probably determines how you use your curiosity. Since you appear to be a curious type, I listed some sites below where you can find out much more information about your topic. http://psyche.uthct.edu /nes/layinfo/nat-nurt.htmlhttp://www.mentalhealth.co m/mag1/p5h-beh2.html
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