If there was a gene for good parenting, would you want to be tested? Would you want to test your parents?
Dutch researchers published a study that suggests our genes may determine our parenting behavior. They found a correlation between nurturing behaviors and particular genetic variations. The finding highlights the role of serotonin and oxytocin in healthy human relationships.
Oxytocin is a hormone that’s also a neurotransmitter in the brain, so it’s used by neurons to communicate with each other. Oxytocin has long been recognized as a crucial hormone for mammalian bonding.
The study looked at 159 middle class mothers with 2-year-old sons, and they found that women who have a variant of a gene which encodes a part of the oxytocin system — this variant is known to make the oxytocin system a little less effective, less efficient in the brain — seemed to be less sensitive to their child on a variety of measures, like how quickly they respond to crying, how often they kiss their child.
Guest: Jonah Lehrer, science writer and "Radio Lab" contributing editor, in Los Angeles.
"The Takeaway" is PRI’s new national morning news program, delivering the news and analysis you need to catch up, start your day, and prepare for what’s ahead. The show is a co-production of WNYC and PRI, in editorial collaboration with the BBC, The New York Times Radio, and WGBH.
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