Written by / First Psychology Writers
Editor / Tommy
In our daily lives, there is a general desire to have an attractive appearance and outstanding intelligence, and these two qualities are undoubtedly great advantages in social activities.
Beauty and intelligence can significantly enhance an individual's ability to connect with others and communicate effectively.
In addition, it is often assumed that these traits are innate and difficult to change through hard work, so the yearning for them is particularly strong.
Genes, as the core elements of life, embody complexity and amazing characteristics.
This compound composed of nucleic acids not only undertakes the task of encoding life traits, but is also responsible for transmitting genetic information.
Every human cell contains consistent genetic information that plays a key role in determining our physical and psychological characteristics.
Different permutations and combinations of genes create a myriad of unique possibilities, which is why each person's appearance is unique, for example, about 2% to 3% of regions in the human genome show differences.
These unique genetic arrangements, combined with the interaction between genes and the environment, work together to shape the growth and development of individuals.
Genes carry information that determines the structure, physiological function, intelligence, and personality of human beings, and this information is essential for human survival and reproduction.
By delving deeper into the structure and function of genes, scientists have been able to better understand how the body repairs itself and fights disease.
When discussing the genetic characteristics of genes, a common question is,
Among couples, whose genes determine the IQ and appearance of the child?
There is broad consensus among experts on this issue.
The association between intelligence and genes has been a long-term research hotspot.
Psychologist Jason proposed a hypothesis in 1972 that sex chromosome X might be related to the inheritance of intelligence.
Since males have only one X chromosome, while females have two, this may result in different activity of intelligence-related genes in both sexes.
Studies have shown that men generally perform better in certain areas, such as spatial cognition, while women perform better in language and memory.
In addition, males have greater variability in intellectual performance, meaning that some of them have higher and lower IQs, while females tend to have more uniform intelligence, mostly at the average level.
At the same time, men are more likely than women to have autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and certain learning disabilities, which are about 1.4 to 1.9 times more common than women.
This sex difference may reveal some link between intellectual disability and genetic factors, although there is no direct close relationship between intelligence and chromosomes.
Through genetic studies, scientists have found that about 90 genes located on the X chromosome are associated with intelligence, and abnormalities or deletions in these genes may lead to intellectual disability.
This suggests that the mother's X chromosome does have a greater impact on the child's intellectual development.
At the same time, through scientific research, we have gained a deeper understanding of how genes affect human intelligence and appearance, and this knowledge has helped us better understand how genetics and environment work together to shape our physical and mental characteristics.
To test this hypothesis, scientists conducted a statistical analysis of IQ data on parents and children from nearly two thousand families in the United States.
By combining these data, the researchers found that there was no significant difference in the correlation between IQ between parents and children.
For example
In a given family, the IQ correlation between father and son is 0.445 and the IQ correlation between mother and son is 0.447, a difference of less than 10%, which can be said to be extremely small.
If the mother carries certain specific mutated genes associated with intelligence, the chance of passing these genes to the child may exceed the probability of passing them on to the father.
In addition, about 70 genes located on non-sex chromosomes also play a key role in intelligence, suggesting that it is inaccurate to blame one parent solely for changes in a child's intelligence.
Phenotypic genetics further studies how genes express and transmit genetic information under the influence of the internal and external environment of the cell without changing the DNA sequence.
This field mainly explores the variability and adaptation of gene expression triggered by external environmental factors and internal physiological signals, and environmental changes can directly or indirectly affect gene activity.
This mechanism may result in specific genes being activated or suppressed, which affects the function of cells and the performance of traits and may have an impact on offspring.
Genetic factors determine many basic human characteristics, such as whether the eyelids are single or double, the depth of skin color, the size of the bones, etc.
But in real life, we often see some phenomena that do not fully follow the laws of heredity, such as tall parents may give birth to children with short stature.
Or some people can develop a high tolerance to alcohol through acquired habits, and their children seem to be able to handle alcohol better from birth.
The case of the Dutch famine is a case in point.
During World War II, many Dutch pregnant women spent up to three months in the midst of famine, and due to nutritional deficiencies during early pregnancy, their fetuses had a reduced metabolic rate to adapt to a low-energy environment.
When the famine ended, these pregnant women returned to their normal diet, and their offspring grew up to be obese, albeit not eating much, and their weight gain was difficult to control normally.
In general, a child's intelligence and appearance are shaped by the genetics of the parents, and changes in the external environment also play an important role in the child's gene expression.
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Keywords: genetics, psychology
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