Lots To Do

In comparison to my last project, I have quickly realized that this topic is much more research intensive. You might be thinking, ‘what else did you expect with a research project?’. Let me explain what I mean by this.

Last year I studied the anti-vaccination movement and the importance of vaccines on a national and global level. To learn more about that experience, here is a link to my old blog. As I researched this topic, I found answers; the year consisted of me answering my questions, drawing connections and applying my research to benefit my community. It was just a different type of research. Now as I browse through the list of articles and websites on the internet, I find that there really aren’t concrete answers-it’s a topic which is still being looked at by researchers. While there has been work done to draw connections between personality and genetics, there is so much yet to be done.

Luckily, researchers have had a strong foundation to work upon therefore aiding them in collecting more information. This foundation consists of basic psychology and neuroscience; a foundation which I’m also trying to establish in my own research. The comprehension of both elements allows researchers to better handle the concept of personality since they have a deep understanding of what it really is. It also allows them to hypothesize connections and aids the direction of their research.

Currently, there are only a few candidate genes that researchers are confident on. One is between behaviors relating to novelty-seeking (a dimension of personality) and the DRD4 gene which is responsible for the creation of dopamine (a neurotransmitter that regulates feelings of pleasure). It was discovered that the DRD4 gene could possibly be linked to drug abuse and ADHD. The other is between the trait neuroticism (a high order personality trait) and the 5-HTTLPR gene which is responsible for the production of serotonin. It was found that this gene is strongly correlated to anxiety related traits.

These two examples are just a small part of what researchers have discovered in relation to personality. However, there are still hundreds of genes that influence our personality that researchers have not really touched upon or aren’t confident on.

Reference:

Azar, B. (2002, September). Searching for genes that explain our personalities. Monitor on Psychology, 33(8), 44.