The Genetics of Success: How SNPs associated with educational attainment relate to life-course development

A previous genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 300,000 individuals identified molecular-geneticpredictors of educational attainment. We undertook in-depth life-course investigation of the polygenic score derived from this... [ view full abstract ]

A previous genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 300,000 individuals identified molecular-geneticpredictors of educational attainment. We undertook in-depth life-course investigation of the polygenic score derived from this GWAS using the four-decade Dunedin Study (N = 918). There were five main findings. First, polygenic scorespredicted adult economic outcomes even after accounting for educational attainments. Second, genes and environments were correlated: Children with higher polygenic scores were born into better-off homes. Third, children’s polygenic scores predicted their adult outcomes even when analyses accounted for their social-class origins; social-mobility analysis showed that children with higher polygenic scores were more upwardly mobile than children with lower scores. Fourth, polygenic scores predicted behavior across the life course, from early acquisition of speech and reading skills through geographic mobility and mate choice and on to financial planning for retirement. Fifth, polygenic-score associations were mediated by psychological characteristics, including intelligence, self-control, and interpersonal skill. Effect sizes were small. The polygenic score studied provides insufficient information to make predictions about specific individuals. Instead, sociogenomic analyses like ours can help identify pathways that lead to socioeconomic success. Once identified, these pathways can provide targets for environmental interventions that benefit everyone, regardless of their genotype.