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Archiver > MEMORY-LANE > 2008-11 > 1225680873


From: ETM <>
Subject: Re: [ML] THE SUBJECT IS Genes
Date: Sun, 2 Nov 2008 21:54:33 -0500


The article was interesting because I am the
daughter of a professional ball player, though
that was before my time and before he married my
mother. But his playing days did not escape me and
we often had visitors who were players or managers
and who, like Dad, had gone on to other lives, and
on their visits would talk of past events.

He must have been competitive as a pro ball
player, he became Comptroller of a tri-state
utility, he must have been competitive on the job,
he loved fishing and was often photographed with
the largest this or that fish, so the gene was
surely there.

Yet, I loathe personal involvement in sports, I
probably am pretty hardy, I don't like to be sick,
am embarrassed by being sick or weak, and any
competitiveness seems to be reflected in not
enjoying working on teams or in a group, I prefer
working alone and usually finish ahead of expected
completion times if I am not involved with others
in a cooperative effort.

My DIL was a jock in high school, apparently some
college teams offered her scholarships if she
played basketball for them, she didn't, she came
to the DC area to take up computer training.
Though she tried to push her sons into sports, I
don't think either was particularly interested,
though one played better than the other and did
play on local teams and was also offered a
scholarship which he accepted and then totally
wasted.

Anyway, the article gave me some hope, I do truly
think I was born with the happiness gene. I am
always, no matter what the "hit," able to recover
from being sad and be happy again.

>From http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/earth/2008/10/30/scisport130.xml

Quote

Sporting champions pass on mental toughness to their children
By Caroline Gammell
Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 30/10/2008



Sporting champions are more likely to have children who go on to succeed in their own right because mental toughness is inherited, new research suggests.

Ability to survive cancer inherited, study finds
Humans 'learnt to gamble from chimps'
Some people born with 'happiness gene'
English cricket captain Colin Cowdrey, who played in more than 100 Test matches, had two sons who carved out careers in the sport - the eldest, Christopher, playing for England.

Stuart Broad, a member of the current national cricket team, followed in the footsteps of his father Chris, who represented his country as a batsman in the 1980s.

advertisementZara Phillips also absorbed her mother's skill when it comes to equestrianism and is the reigning Event World Champion. Princess Anne competed at the 1976 Olympics.

In study published yesterday, scientists studied 219 sets of twins to work out the influence of genetics and environment on four character traits associated with mental toughness.

They were control over life, commitment, confidence and the ability to face new challenges.

Author Dr Tony Vernon at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada, concluded that genetics played a more important role - 52 per cent - than environmental factors - 48 per cent.

The results, published in the New Scientist, also found that the more extravert a person was, the more mentally resilient they were. In contrast, those who tended to be neurotic or anxious were less likely to be so mentally tough.

The study was based on a detailed questionnaire designed by Dr Peter Clough, head of psychology at the University of Hull. He said: "Are people born tough or do they develop it? The simple answer is that they are born tough.

"In the cricketing world, or in any elite sport, you have got to be mentally strong because it is a lot harder than a lot of occupations - you don't get many second chances.

"Most people at the elite level are as tough as old boots because they have been tested since the age of seven.

"You would expected that if someone was mentally tough, at least one parent would be the same.

"It is nice to see a completely independent study in another country come to the same conclusion as we did."

But Dr Clough said a person could also inherit sensitivity - just as much as mental strength - from their parents which may it harder for them to recover from setbacks.

"Some people cannot deal with rejection, they naturally find it difficult and they have to learn how to overcome setbacks if they want to get on and succeed," he said.

The Canadian findings came as research from Australia showed bad habits could be inherited as well.

A study, published in the journal Current Psychology, concluded that smoking was the most likely vice to passed on to children, with 52 per cent adopting the habit.

Author Dr John Malouff, of the University of New England in Armidale, New South Wales, said genes have a bigger influence on our everyday lives than previously thought.

"Genes affect what we look like and how we behave. That is not saying that nurture does not have an influence but a big chunk is down to nature - it is a powerful influence.

"It seems to be across the board for all kinds of behaviour such as a smoking, drinking, antisocial behaviour, and language ability."

Dr Malouff said the influence of genes may mean that people may have to fight against their natural programming if they wanted to change their personalities.

"Genes are not destiny," he said. "But they are a powerful force so we may have to put in a substantial amount of effort into changing things that are long ingrained into us."

Unquote

Elaine



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