The Hindu Business Line : Spirituality is in your genes: Study

THERE may be a connection between your genetic make-up and your inclination to live a religious life, says the Hawaii-based Hindu Press International quoting a scientific study.

According to the report, "The study team gave questionnaires to 169 pairs of identical twins — 100 per cent genetically identical — and 104 pairs of fraternal twins — 50 per cent genetically identical — born in Minnesota.

"The twins, all male and in their early 30s, were asked how often they went to religious services, prayed, and discussed religious teachings. This was compared with when they were growing up and living with their families.

"The twins believed that when they were younger, all of their family members — including themselves — shared similar religious behaviour. But in adulthood, however, only the identical twins reported maintaining that similarity.

"In contrast, fraternal twins were about one-third less similar than they were as children."

The report quoted Laura Koeniz, a psychology student at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, US, as saying, "Their study suggests that as adolescents grow into adults, genetic factors become more important in determining how religious a person is, while environmental factors wane."

Meanwhile, Michael McCullough, a psychologist at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, US, added, "To a great extent, you can't be who you are when you're living under your parents' roof. But once you leave the nest, you can begin to let your own preferences and dispositions shape your behaviour."

According to Matt McGue, a psychologist at the University of Minnesota, "That would suggest genetic factors are becoming more important and growing up together less important. Maybe, ultimately, we all decide what we're most comfortable with, and it may have more to do with our own makeup than how we were treated when we were adolescents."

The new work, the report said, "Suggest that being raised in a religious household may affect a person's long-term psychological state less than previously thought. But the influence from this early socialisation may re-emerge later on, when the twins have families of their own. He also points out that the finding may not be universal because the research focused on a single population of US men."

The report concluded by saying, "About a dozen studies have shown that religious people tend to share other personality traits, although it is not clear whether these arise from genetic or environmental factors. These include the ability to get along well with others and being conscientious, working hard, being punctual, and controlling one's impulses."

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