Can Genes Cause Because We Know They Cause?

This is a post by Riin Kõiv (University of Barcelona). Imagine being told that personality, performance in math, substance addiction, or excess body weight has genetic causes. For many, this information plants a sense of inevitability — as if their personality, their math performance, or their body weight were in some sense “determined,” beyond their own control. For example, in one study, participants read a vignette emphasizing the role of genetic factors in body weight gain. Afterwards,...