A mechanistic explanation of popularity

Genes, rule breaking, and evocative gene–environment correlations

Datos Bibliográficos

ID6201630
AutoresAlexandra Burt (0000-0001-5538-7431, Michigan State University, autor de correspondencia)
Año2009
Volumen96
Número4
Páginas783-794
Fecha de publicación2009-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of Personality and Social Psychology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0022-3514 • E-ISSN: 1939-1315
EditorialAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037/a0013702
PMID19309202
OpenAlexW2009312385
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas8
Referencias citadas3

Previous work has suggested that the serotonergic system plays a key role in "popularity" or likeability. A polymorphism within the 5HT-sub(2A) serotonin receptor gene (-G1438A) has also been associated with popularity, suggesting that genes may predispose individuals to particular social experiences. However, because genes cannot code directly for others' reactions, any legitimate association should be mediated via the individual's behavior (i.e., genes-->behaviors-->social consequences), a phenomenon referred to as an evocative gene-environment correlation (rGE). The current study aimed to identify one such mediating behavior. The author focused on rule breaking given its prior links to both the serotonergic system and to increased popularity during adolescence. Two samples of previously unacquainted late-adolescent boys completed a peer-based interaction paradigm designed to assess their popularity. Analyses revealed that rule breaking partially mediated the genetic effect on popularity, thereby furthering our understanding of the biological mechanisms that underlie popularity. Moreover, the present results represent the first meaningfully explicated evidence that genes predispose individuals not only to particular behaviors but also to the social consequences of those behaviors

Affect (linguistics) · Biology · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Epistemology · Gene · Phenomenon · Popularity · Receptor · Serotonergic · Serotonin · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Communication · Genetics · Mental Health Research Topics · Psychology · Social Psychology