Nature or nurture? The science of “Sociogenomics” says both

“How did she get to be such a good sprinter?” Another parent may ask you about your child.

You might respond, laughing, “She didn’t get those genes from us!” 

Another parent, about their own talented kid, might say, “I did cross-country in college, and my husband did sprinting in high school!” 

In philosophy, theology, psychology, sociology, and, of course, athletics, the nature versus nurture debate continues. World champion athletes like Michael Phelps clearly benefit from genetic predispositions. His hand size, arm length, and more give him a decisive edge. He also grew up swimming and practices constantly,  his talent nurtured to no end. 

But which one has the final say? Are we risk-takers because of nature or nurture? Do we like to travel the world or stay in our cozy homes? What about more serious issues, like crime, alcoholism, or mental illness? Nature or nurture?

A new field of science called “sociogenomics” says they influence each other “like a Möbius strip.” Not only are nature and nurture not in conflict, but they constantly reinforce each other. 

The new science of genetics and sociology, can it predict your life?

Dr. Dalton Conley recently wrote an Opinion essay in the NYT titled “A New Scientific Field Is Recasting Who We Are and How We Got That Way,” which caught my eye. An important figure in this emerging field, Dr. Conley outlines the ways in which sociogenomics combines sociology and biology to give a better understanding of both.

The theory goes like this: Our genes affect our environment, which then, in turn, causes our genes to express themselves more, which affects our environment, and on, and on. Confused? Let’s look at an example. 

Some people are born with the “sprinter’s gene,” called ACTN3. 

Imagine a child with this gene growing up. She’s the fastest in her grade because of her slight edge given by their gene. So she’s winning every running game in elementary school. That encourages her parents to put her in track and other sports. 

This environment strengthens the expression of the gene. That, in turn, may make her a better runner, nudging her toward getting into a college team. With more coaching and training, she becomes an even better runner. 

So, the gene’s presence impacts the environment, which pulls more impact from the gene. Dr. Conley writes, “Her starting position on a big college team won’t be the result of just her genes or her hard work. It will also be the result of how her genes shaped her environment, influencing the people and opportunities she encountered, and how her environment shaped the way and the degree to which her genes expressed themselves.” 

He summarizes, “It’s a continuous feedback loop, in which neither nature nor nurture is a fixed entity.” Because humans naturally tend to congregate around people with similar genes (e.g., their families), their genes reinforce themselves in the environment. In short, the social environment and genes are intricately connected. 

Can Scientists Predict Your Personality from Genes? Sort of. 

Although it’s a young field, several studies show how genes and the social environment of a person are connected in the way sociogenomics predicts. How do scientists know what genes connect to what traits? A metric called “polygenic indexes,” or PGIs. 

I’m not a scientist (despite my master’s degree technically saying I’m a “master of science,” it’s only in philosophy). So, I’ll only briefly summarize Dr. Conley’s explanation. Despite what people might think, biologists can’t usually predict traits with certainty based on genetics. This is because traits are “controlled not by a few genes but by thousands of tiny variants across all your chromosomes.” 

So, scientists started using PGIs, which summarize these influences into a single metric loosely representing the thousands of traits. For example, they can predict left or right-handedness, or personality extroversion—but not perfectly. There is no “extrovert gene” or “right-handed” gene. 

Dr. Conley cautions that PGIs are essentially “clues.” That said, PGIs can give a strong likelihood of these traits appearing.

So, how do PGIs connect with sociogenomics? 

The Negatives and Positives of Knowing PGIs

The degree to which PGIs matter depends on people’s social environment. For example, one mapped-out PGI says whether someone has a predisposition to smoking. However, according to sociogenomics, in the 1950s, the genes probably didn’t matter because almost everyone smoked. Nowadays, someone’s genetic code is much more likely to predict whether they will be a smoker because it’s less common and less socially expected. So, according to sociogenomics, scientists must look at both genetics and the environment—nature and nurture. 

In other cases, knowing PGIs could be supremely helpful. For example, if a child has a predisposition for opioid addiction, Dr. Conley writes, then you can make sure they stay away from pain medication. 

However, as Dr. Conley acknowledges, “designer babies” are a potential danger. Dr. Denison has written elsewhere about the ethics of designer babies, where parents screen for or choose embryos based on PGIs or, in some cases, edit the genes directly. PGIs could clearly be misused. 

After all, the temptation to choose the way that seems best to us rather than embrace who God created us to be has a long history dating back to the Garden of Eden. And the influence of that “sin nature” points to an application of sociogenomics we would all do well to consider today.

Sin nature and sin nurture? 

St. Augustine—the 4th-century Bishop of Hippo and one of the most impactful theologians in Christendom—is credited for fully fleshing out the concept of sin nature. He believed that the corruption of sin is passed down through the generations from Adam to all people, through males, and that’s why Jesus was born to Mary, the virgin. 

As Paul writes, “. . . sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. . .” (Romans 5:12). However, sin’s inherent corruption does not keep us from responsibility. As Dr. Denison writes, “[The] propensity to sin does not force us into rebellion against God—we must still choose to actualize such potential.” 

More than sin nature, however, we can also find evidence in the Bible of how social, environmental, and systemic corruption fosters sin as well. 

• Jesus overturned “the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons” in the temple, driving out those who took advantage of people trying to sacrifice in accordance with Jewish law (Matthew 21:12).
• Jesus also condemned “whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin.” (Matthew 18:6)
• When The Bible Project examined the biblical theme of “The City,” they showed how cities in the Bible tend to lead to greater levels of oppression and violence—until the ideal gets redeemed by Christ in the “New Jerusalem.”  
• Prophets condemned entire generations of Israelites for turning to other gods and oppressing the poor, often following the example of an evil king on Israel’s throne. 

This sampling of themes, stories, and teachings shows how the Bible gives a complex picture of nature and nurture regarding sin. Just as science unpacks a complex picture of nature and nurture, so does Scripture reveal a similarly complex relationship to sin. 

We await the full inauguration of the kingdom of heaven in Christ’s return (the perfect place of nurture) where we’ll be resurrected to a perfect, sinless form (without sin nature). But until that perfect community comes, Christ has given us the opportunity to be part of the church: a community that—when lived out in accordance with God’s will—can cultivate Christ-likeness and love (nurture), as we learn to live as those who’ve been washed clean, free of guilt and sin’s stain, by Christ’s blood (nature).

How have you experienced sin play out in your life and the lives of those around you? Where have you seen sin nurture and nature play out in recent times? How can you draw closer to Christ in the midst of sin’s influence, today? 

Know that however you answered those questions, we serve a God who longs to help you develop the righteous nature imbued by Christ and help others in your community do the same.

Will you let him?