Open to new experiences or rather cautious? Extroverted or shy? Organized or disorganized? Responsible or rather carefree? We know that our ways of being depend in part on our experiences, which shape our personality throughout life. But is there a genetic component? Or, in other words, is our personality written in our genes? Partly, according to a new study published on September 2, 2026 in Nature. Researchers from the University of Texas and the University of Michigan in the United States, and the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, analyzed potential correlations between personality traits and genetic factors in 46 cohorts, primarily European and North American. They identified more than 1,200 genetic mutations that appear to be involved in how we interact with our environment… and which, consequently, may have long-term health consequences.
Cautious or daredevil? Extroverted or shy? Our personality may have a genetic origin.
September 15, 2026
By Nicolas Gutierrez C. THE Subscribers
Approximately a thousand genetic mutations are thought to be linked to personality traits, as well as to health risks caused by behavior.
Personality is said to be written, in part, in our genes.
Photo by RUSLANAS BARANAUSKAS/SCIENCE PHO / RBU / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY VIA AFP
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