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• Jimbo Jones
• Naperville, IL
• United States

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Is personality heavily determined by genetics?

Most people would dismiss this question as ludicrous. And sure, there are people of all different races, sizes, looks, and features who have unique personalities, but there is one quality of a person's personality that is more important than any other.

That quality is sociability, or however you want to put it. There have been a lot of studies that suggest that being a social person (having good relationships with lots of friends) has the closest correlation with "happiness" and that factors like income, race, sex, and sexual preference are negligible.

When babies are born they are typically set into a certain type of temperament. Some babies constantly cry and crave attention while others are very quiet and seek independence. These qualities are clearly innate and typically match the type of personality that the man or woman has when they mature.

My dad is very calm and a little anti-social. So am I. As a baby I was very quiet and shy. To this day I am very quiet and shy (even though I try not to be, I still very much am). My brother constantly cried as a baby and craved attention. Now he is very sociable and has a short temper, like my mom.

I'd be willing to bet money that genetics heavily determine ones personality as far as sociability goes. There may even be a social gene.

It's not so crazy, there has been an "anxiety" gene and a "risk taker" gene found. Unfortunately I think some of us are doomed to be loners while the lucky majority will be social.

What do y'all think?