Are you crippled with shyness? Do you gesture with your hands a certain way?
Well, your children could inherit these non-genetic traits directly from you.
It is a given that eye colour, hair colour and the tendency to have freckles are determined by a couples genetics. I love that my son’s eyes are the exact same shade of grey-blue as his dads, and you sometimes can’t tell my daughters apart if they are bent over a puzzle so identical is their hair colour.
To mark Science Week, supported by Science Foundation Ireland, we are exploring the science behind non-genetical inheritance. It is not widely known is that things like temperament, facial expressions, and body language could also be handed down from parent to child. From the moment our children are born, they are imitating our tone of voice, our hand gestures and how we interact with others.
Scientist and Junior Einsteins Kids Science Educator, Tracey Cassidy, says these social and cultural cues are so strong sometimes that they can serve as an additional ‘inheritance system’:
“It is known as behavioural geneticists, which is the study of the inheritance of behavioural traits and disorders. Monkey see, monkey do. If Mum is very anxious early on in a child’s life, this can be transmitted and modelled, creating a nervous child. If Dad shouts at every driver on the road, you may end up with a child who thinks it is ok to belittle his peers. Must we be perfect parents to ensure our children turn out well? No, of course not. It is even important to model being imperfect. After all, no one can live up to the standard of perfection all the time. Instead model behaviours you would be proud to see in your children.”
Although parents will always be a very influential role model, in this hum-drum world it is hard to always take the high road. Here are some good places to start;
- Show respect for others (and yourself)
- Practice positive communication
- Keep an open outlook on life
- Teach your children to value their health and mind
- Work on anger management
Nature refers to your innate qualities which are wired in genetically, but nurture refers to the needs we develop based on our environment. The most likely explanation of personality make-up is a mix of both environmental and genetic factors.
It also explains why I have one quiet daughter and one wild son and now science says I can blame his Dad.
Interested in the science of sleep? How about the science behind bubbles? Check out the events guide for your area with workshops such as this to celebrate Science week which runs from the 13th until the 20th of November and is supported by the Science Foundation Ireland.
