Nature vs Nurture: What Twin Studies Really Tell Us (And What They Don't)

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

When I was in college, a professor made a claim that stopped me mid-note:

“Intelligence is about 50-80% heritable. Your genes, not your effort or education, largely determine how smart you’ll be.”

I was stunned. And honestly, a little angry.

I’d grown up believing that hard work mattered most. That anyone could achieve anything with enough effort. That your background didn’t determine your destiny.

Was all of that naive? Were we just puppets dancing to our genetic programming?

Twin-Studies on Rafiul Alam

Nature vs Nurture: What Twin Studies Really Tell Us (And What They Don't)