Does genetics or your environment dictate your life?

What dictates our outcome? Is it already programmed in us when we are born, or is it formed by our environment. This question is up for debate and there has been multiple theories as to the truth. Chance could always be a factor in this, as we see a child from an affluent family spiral out of control and into depression and poverty when they grow older or a child brought up from nothing and when the child is older he or she is happy and wealthy.

According to Freakonomics”  it states that nearly 50% of your actions are determined by your genes. this means that half of the way you react to things has been programmed into you before you were born. For example there was another debate within this topic discussing is there certain genes for different things like depression, anger, addiction ect. These all have a huge impact on the way you grow up and develop. If your outcome was determined by genes then there is nothing one can do to change it, yet if the other fifty percent was determined by the things in which you surround yourself then you may be abled to outweigh you genetics by compensating. By that i mean if your genes are leading you down the road in which you know only leads to failure, if you place yourself in an environment that almost fights against you genes you may be able to overcome them. You cant escape your genes but you can escape your environment. With that being said, if we still do not know the answer the this question then the best thing you can do is surround yourself with those who will only help you succeed.

hands holding two puzzle pieces Genetics vs. Environment

work cited

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/stress-management/expert-blog/nature-or-nurture/bgp-20056065

http://freakonomics.com/

3 thoughts on “Does genetics or your environment dictate your life?

  1. Jacklyn Nicole Hucke

    I think both genetics and the environment dictate how someones life plays out. Both things play huge roles in life, which helps decided someones fate. Genetics I think are self explanatory. Genetics make you who you are. They aid in deciding what you like to do, what you look like and how you act. The environment shapes who you become. Depending on the type of household one grows up in and where someone is from guide someones life path. Both things go hand in hand with one another.

  2. Katherine Sharon Trimble

    This makes me think of the nature vs. nurture debate. Is it our heredity or surroundings that determine who we are? I believe that it is a 50/50 split. Nature determines our traits, which are located in our DNA. However, nurture determines how we interact with others. Both nature and nurture play critical roles in determining who we are.

  3. Kristen Louise Robertson

    I definitely think the environment plays a major role on your personality. I know it did for me at least. I grew up in Baltimore and after coming to Penn State, I have noticed that many people are similar based on where they are from. The Penn State environment also obviously affects us all! We don’t call it Happy Valley for nothing! When I read your blog, I couldn’t help but think about what would be the case for identical twins that grew up in completely different environments. I found a study on it that you might like:
    http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~rm35/

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