Hat tip to Andy Smarick from Flypaper for alerting me to a fascinating article by David Dobbs in The Atlantic. It relates to the interaction between genetic and environmental factors to produce either vulnerable or resilient phenotypes based on the same risk allele. The specific risk allele is one for ADHD and externalizing behaviours.
Dobbs explained as follows:
"Most of us have genes that make us as hardy as dandelions: able to take root and survive almost anywhere. A few of us, however, are more like the orchid: fragile and fickle, but capable of blooming spectacularly if given greenhouse care. So holds a provocative new theory of genetics, which asserts that the very genes that give us the most trouble as a species, causing behaviors that are self-destructive and antisocial, also underlie humankind’s phenomenal adaptability and evolutionary success. With a bad environment and poor parenting, orchid children can end up depressed, drug-addicted, or in jail—but with the right environment and good parenting, they can grow up to be society’s most creative, successful, and happy people."Related: Can the right kinds of play teach self-control?
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