It has often been joked about there being a “Liberal Gene”, or that being Liberal is a disease. There is now “some” evidence that shows there is a gene, but also that social circumstances play a factor with the gene in how Liberal a person may be. But is this just a way for Liberals to excuse themselves? Can’t you hear it now: “I can’t help it I was born this way”. And what of a “Conservative Gene”? [sarcasm on] Would this open a Pandora’s Box for Obamacare to require “treatment” for those discovered to have a Conservative Gene? [sarcasm off] Yes, my last comment was sarcastic, but stranger things have been known to happen. Read on and let me know what you think:

Clipped from ucsdnews.ucsd.edu
Researchers Find a ‘Liberal Gene’

Liberals may owe their political outlook partly to their genetic make-up, according to new research from the University of California, San Diego, and Harvard University.  Ideology is affected not just by social factors, but also by a dopamine receptor gene called DRD4.  The study’s authors say this is the first research to identify a specific gene that predisposes people to certain political views.

Appearing in the latest edition of The Journal of Politics published by Cambridge University Press, the research focused on 2,000 subjects from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.  By matching genetic information with maps of the subjects’ social networks, the researchers were able to show that people with a specific variant of the DRD4 gene were more likely to be liberal as adults, but only if they had an active social life in adolescence.
Previous research has identified a connection between a variant of this gene and novelty-seeking behavior, and this behavior has previously been associated with personality traits related to political liberalism. Read more at ucsdnews.ucsd.edu
 

Original: Charlie Profit