Nature, Nurture, and Choice.
Our walks of life, the jobs we perform, the hobbies we dedicate ourselves to, and even the food choices we make are all different.
But we are more similar than we think.
Although the term nature & nurture was coined in the late 1800s, we can still learn plenty from it today.
Here’s a recap of nature & nurture:
The discussion of nature & nurture was coined by Francis Galton (younger cousin of Charles Darwin) and through this idea, he proposed a conversation between the extreme side of nature which implies our intelligence and personality traits are inherited in our genetics. This is also referred to as nativism.
The other factor is the nurture viewpoint which proposes who we become in adulthood is largely dictated by external factors like education, and upbringing. This “blank slate” view is also known as empiricism.
Ok, now let’s get back to the things we have in common.
Who we are today is the conclusion of both.
Scientists have estimated that somewhere between 20-60 percent of humans’ decisions are affected by the genes within us, with an unknown percentage coming from the environment.
In short, our genes contribute to our tendencies which affect our decisions.
So, how do we begin to unpack and reconcile this?
Most recently a study from the Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research estimated that many of our traits are more than 50% inherited. This includes obedience to authority, vulnerability to stress, and risk-seeking. Now take a moment and read that again. Are we to think that our risk-averse nature comes from our genes? Studies are now showing that our genes impact our behavior in many more ways than we assumed. Some even believe our political inclination and religious preferences can be affected as well.
At this point, I know what you’re thinking…” What the heck is happening right now, this is crazy. There’s no way my political inclinations are affected by my genes.” I’ll stop here with this line of thought so we don’t end up on a trending page of X, but I’m using it to pinpoint the importance of finding and understanding our nature.
So let's do that.
If our genes contribute largely to who we are, and what we do or don’t do, then it’s time we start figuring out our tendencies to better understand how these genes manifest in our daily lives. There is no use in trying to create new habits if we don’t know that our ability to create new habits depends on our understanding of how we approach new habits.
Here’s how this plays out:
1 - Our tendencies are hardwired in us and lead to patterns.
2 - These patterns in behavior lead to making decisions.
3 - Our decisions then shape our consequences and environment.
4 - Our reality is created.
An example: (1) A risk-averse person [tendency] is (2) more likely to pursue jobs that do not require risk-taking [behavior]. (3) Ending up in environments with good pensions or security [consequence]. (4) They have worked in this role for decades.
A person in this environment is also less likely to be exposed to situations that demand they take risks, therefore “doubling down” on being risk-averse.
How does this connect to nurture?
Our environment is also a large contributor to who we are. The environment we are in largely contributes to decisions we believe exist. This is why some people are happy working the same job for many years while others feel there is “something more.” Either way, whichever side you fall on, one thing is true, your environment dictates the ability you have to make decisions.
*I will take a moment to say that these are generalities about the human condition and not a descriptor or explanation for those who within terrible environments can and have made completely unexpected decisions that have led them to incredible success by different metrics.*
Our nature, who we are genetically, impacts our environment and our environment dictates who we are. Cue the GIF.
So what now?
The choice is the last factor in this equation.
If our genes guide our tendencies and our environment contributes to our decisions then the separating factor is choice. Without understanding our choices we cannot make better ones. More risk-averse people tend to make choices that go in line with that tendency. More open-minded people make spur-of-the-moment decisions and so on. So the key lies in finding out who we are from a personality perspective and how we can hack our choices within our environment.
The next few posts will explore these ideas. Once we figure out if we are a Nurturer, a Creative, a Guardian, a Connector, or a Pioneer, then we can start to understand how to hack our choices. We will do this through the analysis of personality and how we respond and assess four areas.
Extraversion or Introversion, Sensing or Intuition, Thinking or Feeling, and Judging or Perceiving.
Just because you or someone you know falls within a certain place, it does not make them only that. This is why I began this journey with nature & nurture. Who we are is made up of both of these and our ability to make choices based on them.
I’ll stop there…until next time, ask yourself, how well do I know myself? How well can I anticipate the decisions I will make?
Considering our conversation on choice, I hope you choose to send this substack post to someone you know who could benefit from these topics. Becoming self-aware is a journey for everyone, so let’s grow this thing together.
See you in a few days!
Hey! Thanks for reading.
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