r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • 20d ago

Neuroscience Twin study suggests rationality and intelligence share the same genetic roots - the study suggests that being irrational, or making illogical choices, might simply be another way of measuring lower intelligence.

https://www.psypost.org/twin-study-suggests-rationality-and-intelligence-share-the-same-genetic-roots/
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u/Sinai 20d ago

This is about as far from inflammatory a study as you can get. This is a orthodox scientist with thousands of citations in the field arriving at the orthodox conclusion.

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u/AidosKynee 19d ago

"Genetics causes bad behavior" is definitely treading a dangerous line, which Intelligence has been known to step over.

That's why I'm wary when it's a solo author doing the study, and one who's got a strong "in" with the journal. It's far too easy for one person's preconceptions to taint their research, and you pointed out that they were unable to even appear unbiased.

I'm not a psychologist, so I won't comment on the merits of the study itself. I'll leave it up to their field to replicate these findings or not.

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u/[deleted] 19d ago edited 19d ago

People like to pretend we are the one animal not behaviorally influenced by our genetics but we are, we know behavior traits can be selected for in various species the problem is a matter of a choice and we as a people need to choose not to engage in legally enforced Eugenics in people while still acknowledging reality that we don't know what we don't know and allowing research to proceed so we can perhaps still find treatments for problematic behaviors that may have a genetic or epigenetic component.

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u/TurboGranny 19d ago

People like to pretend we are the one animal not behaviorally influenced by our genetics

Yup. People like to think we are aren't herd animals. They'll call it a "riot" instead of a "stampede". Those same people will think any talk of inherited traits is "eugenics" instead of it's actual definition. Traits are inherited in the same way see them inherited in other organisms. The problem with "eugenics" or any other selective breeding program is that you can't control for other traits you bring over leading to congenital issues combined with developing a homogenous genome which tends to lead to the collapse of the species. But these irrational people don't know the difference. They just attack anything and everything because thinking is hard.