This Old DNA Of Mine (Is Weak For Surveys)

I have a friend who HATES taking surveys. I’ve always found that irrational, but a new study shows that her dislike of surveys may have a genetic basis. A forthcoming paper shows that some people are genetically predisposed to not take surveys (and that some people are genetically predisposed TO take surveys).

The researchers used an elegant study design, which I think is just as cool as the findings. They sent a survey to over 1,000 sets of twins – some of whom where fraternal, some identical. The researchers then examined whether the behavior of one twin predicted the behavior of the other twin. It turns out that the behavior of one twin did predict the behavior of the other IF they were identical twins. The behavior of a fraternal twin did not accurately predict the behavior of the other.

By doing a “twin study” like this, the researchers account for age (since twins, you know, share a birthday) and upbringing (since all of the twin sets in this study were raised in the same home). The only variable was genetic – identical twins share identical DNA, fraternal twins do not. I think studies like this are pretty clever.

The paper will be published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior. No word on what this means for identical cousins.