TY - JOUR
T1 - Maintenance of genetic variation in personality through control of mental mechanisms
T2 - a test of trust, extraversion, and agreeableness
AU - Hiraishi, Kai
AU - Yamagata, Shinji
AU - Shikishima, Chizuru
AU - Ando, Juko
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by a Keio University special grant-in-aid for innovative collaborative research projects, and the Human Frontier Science Program. It was also supported by a grant-in-aid for scientific research (A) No. 13309014 (project leader: Juko Ando) by the Japanese Ministry of Education. We thank all the participants and the staff of the Keio Twin Project.
PY - 2008/3
Y1 - 2008/3
N2 - Since natural selection produces genetically homogeneous populations with regard to adaptively important traits, the relatively high genetic variance associated with human personality is an enigma. In this article, we propose that humans adaptively control the activation of domain-specific mental mechanisms in accordance with personality. This process functions to reduce fitness differences among individuals with different genetic backgrounds associated with personality. Such control would facilitate the evolution of heritable personality traits. We conducted a twin study, showing that the level of general trust (trust of strangers) is controlled not only by environmental factors but also by personality factors, thus producing reactive heritability of general trust. This result supports our hypothesis.
AB - Since natural selection produces genetically homogeneous populations with regard to adaptively important traits, the relatively high genetic variance associated with human personality is an enigma. In this article, we propose that humans adaptively control the activation of domain-specific mental mechanisms in accordance with personality. This process functions to reduce fitness differences among individuals with different genetic backgrounds associated with personality. Such control would facilitate the evolution of heritable personality traits. We conducted a twin study, showing that the level of general trust (trust of strangers) is controlled not only by environmental factors but also by personality factors, thus producing reactive heritability of general trust. This result supports our hypothesis.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2007.07.004
DO - 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2007.07.004
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:39049154906
SN - 1090-5138
VL - 29
SP - 79
EP - 85
JO - Evolution and Human Behavior
JF - Evolution and Human Behavior
IS - 2
ER -