The gene in question was ADA2b deletion variant which influences hormones and neurotransmitter norepinephrine. This gene allows people to perceive emotions in real time and through emotional memories. The study used 200 participants and showed them positive, negative, and neutral words in a rapid succession. The participants that had the ADA2b gene saw more negative words compared to the happy and neural words. Where as both groups, those that had the ADA2b gene and one that don't have the gene, saw more positive words then neural words. It is said that those who have the ADA2b gene are more likely to see and pick out angry faces in a crowd of people and are able to see or notice hazardous situation such as, a spot where someone could fall, or a lose rock or object that could potentially harm someone. The researcher conducted this study to show how the combination of genetics with other factors can have an affect on how individuals differ in emotional perception and human subjectivity.
I found this article to be interesting because I didn't realize that people could be born to focus on the negative parts of life in a more intense manner. I know people have differences in opinions, but I didn't realize that the opinion could be different because the person was born to see it that way.
It's pretty well known that different individuals are inately more likely to be negative than others, but I think it's worthwhile to delve into why. I wonder how much this gene affects outlook compared to other factors. It's certainly an interesting and complicated topic.
ReplyDeleteThis article is very interesting; however, it is important to bear in mind that the study is an indication of a potential gene association of human perception. There is a possibility that one's innate gravitation toward either positive or negative perception could be an adaptive defense mechanism for survival. Additionally, environment has an impact on individual perception, a factor that was not taken into account in this study.
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