Empathy is the ability of an individual to identify the intentions, feelings, thoughts, and desires of another individual and respond to them. Hence, it is considered to be vital for prosocial behavior and social cognition.
Two Types Of Empathy
- Cognitive Empathy: The capacity to identify the thoughts and feelings of another individual.
- Affective Empathy: The capacity to respond emotionally to other people's situations.
Genetics Of Empathy
Recent research has reported how certain genetic variants contribute to our ability to empathize, suggesting that empathy is not solely a product of upbringing or social environment, but also has a heritable component.
This exploration raises important questions about how our genetic predispositions shape our emotional responses and interpersonal relationships, paving the way for deeper insights into the nature of empathy itself.
A large study was conducted by researchers from The University of Cambridge with considerable support from 23andMe researchers. Around 46,000 23andMe customers who consented to the study, completed an online survey which was used to evaluate their Empathy Quotient (EQ).
Here are five key findings from the study about empathy genes and their impact on health and well-being:
Empathy is Heritable
You may have always felt this, innately identifying a family that may seem more empathetic.
Now, a scientific study could back you up.
This study identified certain genetic variants that could contribute to empathy.
While the study did not identify all the genes associated with empathy, the identified variants were found to contribute to 11% variability.
Before this study, empathy was considered to be a factor that was learned or taught by the social situation that a child grew up in.
Instead, this study showed that there was a genetic factor associated with empathy.
So, how will finding out about your empathy genes help? Read on to find out.
Biological Sex and Empathetic Potential
Among the 46,861 23andme participants who were included in the study, 24,543 were females, while 22,318 were males.
When male and female samples were analyzed separately, females were found to have higher EQ than males.
However, a sex-stratified analysis did not provide a genetic association, indicating that non-genetic factors played a role in this difference.
Empathy And Autism Risk
This study showed that a low EQ score was associated with an increased risk of autism.
Multiple studies support this and have shown that when self-reported empathy was low, there was an increased risk of autism (Baron-Cohen et al., 2004 and 2014).
This could be due to a struggle to identify the thoughts and feelings of other individuals rather than problems in responding.
The sex-specific analysis showed that there was a significant genetic association between EQ and autism among men, than among women.
Empathy and Schizophrenia Risk
The study found a significant genetic association between EQ and schizophrenia.
Previous scientific studies have also shown that a reduction in cognitive empathy but healthy or stronger affective empathy was associated with schizophrenia.
The study results suggest that genetic variants that were associated with self-reported empathy had a moderately increased risk of schizophrenia.
Empathy and Anorexia Nervosa Risk
This 23andme study also showed that genetic variants for self-reported empathy were associated with a slight increase in the risk for anorexia nervosa.
An earlier study (Warrier et al., 2017) also showed a genetic association between cognitive empathy and anorexia nervosa.
Further, the current study showed that there was a significant genetic association between EQ in females and anorexia.
3 Easy Steps To Analyze Your Genetic Variants For Empathy
- Download your raw DNA file from your service provider (for example, 23andMe, AncestryDNA, FTDNA, SelfDecode, etc.)
- Place an order for the Traits and Personality report (or the Wellness/Genome packs that include this report and are on discount)
- On your account dashboard, click on the "Upload" button to upload your file
In <24 hours, you'll have the report(s) delivered to your email inbox!
What Can You Do With This Information?
Xcode Life's Traits and Personality Report is about self-empowerment through self-awareness.
For example, people with a higher genetic score for angry temperament can take measures to actively prevent angry outbursts, once they understand that this tendency is innate.
Most people are usually aware of their innate instincts.
However, a personality genetic report can reveal several such aspects that people are generally unaware.
Xcode Life's Trait and Personality Report provides information on extraversionness, intelligence, entrepreneurship potential, and more than 25 such traits. You can find out more about it here.
