Is Social Success Shaped By Our Genes?

A commentary published earlier this year in the Harvard Business Review (January-February issue) bore the provocative title, “Your success is shaped by your genes”. For more than a century, one of the most contentious... [ view full abstract ]

A commentary published earlier this year in the Harvard Business Review (January-February issue) bore the provocative title, “Your success is shaped by your genes”. For more than a century, one of the most contentious areas of behavioral genetic research has concerned the extent to which social achievements are “genetically shaped”, leading some researchers to regrettably steer clear of this important area of research. Recently, the hypothesis that genetic factors contribute to important social outcomes has gained added support from large-scale genetic studies, most notably through the Social Science Genetics Association Consortium (SSGAC). Yet, can we conclude that the genes we inherit are the predominant source of the successes and failures we will experience in life; do they determine whether we are upwardly or downwardly mobile? Using data from several large longitudinal studies of twins and adopted individuals undertaken under the auspices of the Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research (MCTFR), I investigate the determinants of social achievement and mobility. I focus in particular on the contributions of cognitive ability, non-cognitive factors and family background and the extent to which those contributions are genetically and environmentally mediated. We find that genetic factors clearly contribute to social outcomes and intergenerational mobility. Nonetheless, genetics is not the only way by which parents shape their children’s futures. Results are discussed in light of current debates surrounding social mobility and economic inequality.