Mauritio
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- Feb 26, 2018
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There is a suprsing amount of studies linking a specific variant of the serotonin transporter to higher neuroticism. Neuroticism, one of the big five traits in psychology, is defined as the proclivity to feel negative emotions like anxiety and depression. Women are higher in trait neuroticism than men.
Now the specific variant is associated with: "...reduced transcriptional efficiency of the 5-HTT gene, and lower expression of 5-HTT."...meaning lower expression of the serotonin transporter SERT, which leads more serotonin available.
So lower levels of SERT/ higher levels of serotonin are associated with neuroticism, as it has been posted before.
"We previously found population and within-family associations between the lower-expressing s allele and neuroticism, a trait related to anxiety, hostility, and depression, on a standard measure (the NEO Personality Inventory, Revised [NEO-PI-R]) in a primarily male population (n=505), and that the s allele was dominant. We investigated this association in a new sample (n=397, 84% female, primarily sib-pairs). The results robustly replicated the 5-HTTLPR neuroticism association, and the dominance of the s allele. Combined data from the two studies (n=902) showed a highly significant association between the s allele and higher NEO Neuroticism both across individuals and within families."
- Association between the serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism and personality traits in a primarily female population sample - PubMed
In children you find the same thing. Not only that but higher serotonin was also associated with lower scores of openess (which is associated with creativity) and lower scores of conscientiousness (which is a good predictor for later success in life, especially monetarily).
Interestingly, higher serotonin was associated with lower agreeableness, which I saw replicated in another study on adults. I would have expected serotonin to cause more docile, agreeable people, but I guess it can also make them more disagreeable in a vegan/Greta Thunberg- like way.
"...children homozygous for the S allele had significantly higher scores of Neuroticism and lower scores of Openness, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness."
- Personality and the serotonin transporter gene: Associations in a longitudinal population-based study - PubMed
Now the specific variant is associated with: "...reduced transcriptional efficiency of the 5-HTT gene, and lower expression of 5-HTT."...meaning lower expression of the serotonin transporter SERT, which leads more serotonin available.
So lower levels of SERT/ higher levels of serotonin are associated with neuroticism, as it has been posted before.
"We previously found population and within-family associations between the lower-expressing s allele and neuroticism, a trait related to anxiety, hostility, and depression, on a standard measure (the NEO Personality Inventory, Revised [NEO-PI-R]) in a primarily male population (n=505), and that the s allele was dominant. We investigated this association in a new sample (n=397, 84% female, primarily sib-pairs). The results robustly replicated the 5-HTTLPR neuroticism association, and the dominance of the s allele. Combined data from the two studies (n=902) showed a highly significant association between the s allele and higher NEO Neuroticism both across individuals and within families."
- Association between the serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism and personality traits in a primarily female population sample - PubMed
In children you find the same thing. Not only that but higher serotonin was also associated with lower scores of openess (which is associated with creativity) and lower scores of conscientiousness (which is a good predictor for later success in life, especially monetarily).
Interestingly, higher serotonin was associated with lower agreeableness, which I saw replicated in another study on adults. I would have expected serotonin to cause more docile, agreeable people, but I guess it can also make them more disagreeable in a vegan/Greta Thunberg- like way.
"...children homozygous for the S allele had significantly higher scores of Neuroticism and lower scores of Openness, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness."
- Personality and the serotonin transporter gene: Associations in a longitudinal population-based study - PubMed