If you feel lonely persistently, blame it partly on your genes. In a survey of 8,387 siblings, 48 percent of identical twins and 24 percent of fraternal twins reported similar levels of moderate to extreme loneliness, with much higher agreement than siblings who were not twins. The results come from a 12-year study done in the Netherlands by psychologists at Free University and the University of Amsterdam and at the University of Chicago. The findings, along with ongoing investigation of a satellite of proximal genes on chromosome 12, suggest that some individuals have a genetic vulnerability to feelings of loneliness. Such a propensity should not, however, be thought of as an immutable trait, such as eye color, says psychology professor John T. Cacioppo of the University of Chicago. Rather the genetic bent should be viewed as a risk factor that makes certain individuals more sensitive to environmental factors that can cause loneliness. Cacioppo believes that genetically based loneliness could have played an evolutionary role, giving humans an incentive to socialize and share resources. “Loneliness is a signal, just like pain, that something is wrong,” he says. “It motivates you to do something. And the reward associated with that… motivates the maintenance of those relationships, which is critical to our survival.” Because loneliness is associated with medical conditions such as elevated blood pressure, knowing your inherited predisposition to it could allow you to make better health decisions. For instance, “you might not take that promotion that requires you to move across the country and leave friends and family behind,” Cacioppo notes.
The findings, along with ongoing investigation of a satellite of proximal genes on chromosome 12, suggest that some individuals have a genetic vulnerability to feelings of loneliness. Such a propensity should not, however, be thought of as an immutable trait, such as eye color, says psychology professor John T. Cacioppo of the University of Chicago. Rather the genetic bent should be viewed as a risk factor that makes certain individuals more sensitive to environmental factors that can cause loneliness.
Cacioppo believes that genetically based loneliness could have played an evolutionary role, giving humans an incentive to socialize and share resources. “Loneliness is a signal, just like pain, that something is wrong,” he says. “It motivates you to do something. And the reward associated with that… motivates the maintenance of those relationships, which is critical to our survival.”
Because loneliness is associated with medical conditions such as elevated blood pressure, knowing your inherited predisposition to it could allow you to make better health decisions. For instance, “you might not take that promotion that requires you to move across the country and leave friends and family behind,” Cacioppo notes.
