Is Empathy in Your DNA?

Researchers claim that our ability to “feel” the emotions of others stems partly from our genetic makeup. A study of nearly 47,000 adults found that genes seem to explain 10% of the variance in empathy from one individual to another and that these genes are also associated with the risk of autism, schizophrenia, and anorexia. Researcher Dr. Varun Warrier writes, “We’ve known for a few decades now that differences in empathy have been observed in various psychiatric conditions… Understanding how genes contribute to differences in empathy may provide us with insights into the genetic basis for some of these psychiatric conditions.” Translational Psychiatry, March 2018