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To some people, genetics may seem like just another unit in science class. However, genetics is much much more than that! The human genome is what sets everybody apart from one another. No two people will have the same DNA! (Wiederman, 2014) Similarly, no two people have the exact same personality. What doesn't occur to most people is that the two correlate with one another! Personality is highly based o" of genetic makeup. In fact, half of people's personality traits com from their genetic makeup, and the other half comes from the conditions in the environment in which the person is raised in. These two factors play into the probability of getting certain disorders, and your overall personality and characteristics. (Azar, 2002) ! ! Personality denes who we are, and a"ects how we react to di"erent situations. There are so many di"erent personality traits available for people to have. People don't just have one trait, they each have a unique combination of them. As of 2007, a database listed 2147 observable personality traits. (Schoen, 2014) Personality originates from two di"erent things. Half of the human genome comes from the experiences that we have, and the conditions in the environment in which people are raised in. (Wiederman, 2014)For example, an only child with wealthy parents will typically have a di"erent personality than a child from a family who is struggling nancially. The other half of variants in personality is due to di"erences in genetic makeup. (Wiederman, 2014) Everyone's genes are di"erent. Genes are somewhat like snowakes, in the sense that no two snowakes are the same, and no two people have the same combination of genes. The only exceptions of this are identical twins. Identical twins are genetically identical. In some situations, the twins are split apart just after birth into two di"erent living situations. An experiment was performed on 22 sets of twins who. Were split apart. When these twins were reunited, they had developed some di"erent personality traits, but they were also still very similar. This demonstrates the previous theory stating that half of personality comes from DNA and the other half comes from environment. (Wiederman, 2014) Although people inherit their genes from their parents, they are not genetic copies of them. (Wiederman, 2014) Therefore, children may share some personality traits as their parents, but they will not have the exact same traits. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! Figure 1 shows the topic previously discussed in paragraph 1. The factors of personality traits is split in half between these two bubbles. The rst bubble discusses the human environmental inuence, with an image of a happy, loving family. Judging by the looks of this family, it seems as if the parents discipline their children accordingly, but have fun and love them with all of their heart. If this is the case, the children will likely grow up to be well behaved, with a nice personality. The second image shows that the other half of personality comes from your genetic code and the combination of DNA molecules in your body, often inuencing the probability of developing a molecular disorder.! ! As we have already discovered, genes can greatly e"ect the human personality. However, not only does the human genome e"ect personality traits, but it also e"ects the likelihood of getting or having certain disorders. Some of these disorders include down syndrome, schizophrenia, panic disorders, probability of addiction and a trait called novelty-seeking, meaning the drive to seek out new experiences that often come along with dangerous consequences. (Schoen, 2014) The gene code e"ects these disorders specically because they have a molecular base. If you have a certain combination of DNA molecules in your body, you will be more likely to develop one of those disorders. All of these disorders prevent great challenge to the people with the disorder, and their families. People who are faced with them have to live their lives much di"erently than the average human being. This is the main reason why scientists are making a point to research the correlation between genes and personality so thoroughly. If they can determine which genes cause these disorders, they will be able to determine who is at high risk of the disorders, so they can be taken care of before they get too severe. (Schoen, 2014)! ! ! ! In conclusion, everyone is very familiar with their friend's, family member's, and their own personality, however they may not be aware of where they come from. Researchers have an idea, but need to continue their studies in order to help lower the possibilities of disorder in all people, and control those disorders very early into it. (Azar, 2002)The human gene code, and the environment in which people are raised in e"ect the personality traits and disorders that any given person may have. !

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