Whether you have the urge to ski a black diamond
Sure, skill determines your ability to make it down a tough trail in one piece, but your genes influence whether you even want to be there in the first place. In a study of 500 intermediate to expert skiers and snowboarders, researchers found that those who had a specific genetic marker were more likely to take risks on the slopes than those without it.
What type of diet works for you
The likelihood that a diet will work might have more to do with your genetic makeup than the “magic” of the diet itself, according to a study on mice reported by the Genetics Society of America. The real-world (and human) takeaway? “Since there are different optimal diets for different individuals,” says researcher William Barrington, Ph.D, “this underscores the need for precision nutrition, which would identify optimal dietary patterns for each person.” The bottom line? One diet doesn’t fit all, and it may not have anything to do with your willpower.
How aggressive you were as a toddler
If your Terrible Twos were a little more intense than normal, it may have been your parents’ fault – but not because of their shoddy parenting skills. According to researchers at the University of Montreal, frustratingly aggressive behaviours like hitting, biting and kicking in early childhood have more to do with genetics than environmental factors. Luckily, this behaviour won’t necessarily continue, as long as it’s dealt with mindfully and carefully. In fact, a 2017 study found that while early aggression may be an inherited trait, after the age of 6, it’s more about environmental factors and a parent’s, well, parenting.
Here are 17 forgotten manners every parent should teach their child.