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Genetic inheritance
Do you have your mom’s button nose? Did your dad pass on the curse of sneezing in bright sunlight? And where did your baby’s red, curly hair come from when there hasn’t been a redhead in your family for generations? These questions may sound simple but the answers get complicated fast. Why? Because the science of genetic inheritance is complicated, says Dawn Allain, licensed genetic counselor and director of the Genetic Counseling Graduate Program at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “It’s nearly impossible to tease out exactly where each of your traits came from,” she explains. “Most traits are influenced by many different genes and you inherit some from each parent.” Plus, there’s the influence your environment plays; just because you have a gene for a certain trait doesn’t always mean you’ll end up with it, she adds. Then there are traits people often assume are inherited but actually aren’t.
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How you inherit traits
Still, it’s fun to ask those questions and while there aren’t many detailed answers, there are a few basic things genetics can tell you about traits you inherit from your mom and those you got from our dad, Allain says. But first, you need to know how inheritance works.
“There are three main ways you can inherit traits from your parents,” she explains. First is through a dominant gene—if you inherit a dominant gene you will develop that trait. Take eye color, for example. If either of your parents have brown eyes, you likely will have brown eyes as this is a dominant trait. Second is through a recessive gene—both parents have to have the recessive gene for you to have that trait. For instance, if you have blue eyes then both of your parents must carry a gene for blue eyes, even if their eye color isn’t blue. Lastly, there are X-linked traits which are found only on the X chromosome and are passed on through the mother.
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Your ability to lose weight
There are two types of fat in your body: “Good” brown fat, which increases your metabolism and helps you maintain a healthy weight, and “bad” white fat, which can cause obesity and disease if you have too much of it. Everyone has some of each type but how much brown fat you have—and therefore how high your metabolism is—may be inherited from your mom, according to a study published in Nature Communications. Another trait that you get from your mom is your intelligence.
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How easily you gain weight
However, while mom may be helping you out with the brown fat, you can blame your dad for your white fat, the Nature Communications study found. How much fat you store, particularly around your organs may be partly determined by genes passed down from your father, the researchers said. Genetics aren’t destiny when it comes to your weight, your lifestyle choices play an even bigger part.
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Your ability to focus
If your mother has lower levels of serotonin, a brain chemical linked to mood, then you’re more likely to develop attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder later in life, according to a study published in JAMA Psychiatry. The genes, passed down from mom to kid, that impact serotonin production also seem to influence your ability to focus. Sound like you? Check out these common reasons you have trouble focusing and how to fix it.
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If you hit puberty early
Puberty, and all the fun milestones that come along with it, like acne, cracking voices, or getting your period while wearing white shorts, is a rite of passage many children go through on their way to becoming an adult. Both parents’ genetics play a part in when exactly you start the big change but if you started puberty early—before age eight in girls and nine in boys—that may be due to a gene you inherit from your father, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Specifically, they identified that a genetic mutation leads to a type of premature puberty, meaning that if you have it, you’ll have to deal with all that stuff before any of your friends.
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Your laugh lines
How well you age and how much you show it is determined on a cellular level by the accumulation of damage over your lifetime to your mitochondrial DNA—genes you only get from your mom. Environmental factors like sun exposure, smoking, and an unhealthy diet can cause mtDNA damage but some of the damage can be inherited from your mother, according to a study published in Nature. The more mtDNA with mutations you inherit from your mother, the faster you age and the more it will show in traits like wrinkles and gray hair. Check out these surprising facts about at-home DNA test kits.
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Your mood
Mothers can influence your mood in many ways and it’s not just by grounding you or serving broccoli three times a week. The structure of the part of the brain known as the corticolimbic system, which controls emotional regulation and plays a role in mood disorders like depression, is more likely to be passed down from mothers to daughters than from mothers to sons or from fathers to children of either gender, according to a study published in The Journal of Neuroscience. This may mean that daughters at least partly inherit their mood from their mothers. Find out things parents of daughters wish they knew sooner.
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The genders of your children
Obviously the genes from you and your spouse determine the gender of your children. But did you know that which gender genes you pass on may be inherited from your father? This is how it works: A man with many brothers is more likely to have sons, while a man with many sisters is more likely to have daughters, according to a study published in Evolutionary Biology. Find out the secrets your birth order reveals about you.
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Your memory
It’s been known for some time that a family history of Alzheimer’s disease significantly increases the risk for developing the illness, but a new study, published in Biological Psychiatry, found that the genetic risk primarily comes from your mother. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia later in life, affecting nearly six million people in America alone, so it’s important to know what factors increase your risk—including your mother’s medical history—so you can start taking steps to protect your brain health now, the researchers noted. Medical history is only one of the questions you should ask your parents before it’s too late.
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Your fertility
A woman’s fertility may be impacted by a gene she inherited from her father, according to a study published in Science. In a normal egg cell, a part of the cell called the centrioles is eliminated as part of the natural development process. However, if the centrioles aren’t eliminated—often due to a genetic dysfunction, passed on by her dad—then the woman is sterile, researchers explained.
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Your hairline?
You may have heard that how and when a man loses his hair is due to an inherited trait from his mom’s side. However, a study, published in PLoS Genetics, of over 55,000 men has proved this to be a myth. Researchers found 287 independent genetic signals that were linked to male-patterned hair loss and while 40 were only found on the X chromosome, meaning they were inherited on the maternal side, the rest were scattered throughout DNA inherited from both patterns. Interestingly, some genes associated with hair loss also seem to be associated with an increased risk for heart disease in men. While some traits are inherited, others are learned. Make sure you’re aware of these bad parenting traits you might have—without even knowing it.
Sources:
- The Ohio State University College of Medicine: “Dawn Allain, MS, LGC”
- Nature Communications: “LincRNA H19 protects from dietary obesity by constraining expression of monoallelic genes in brown fat”
- JAMA Network: “Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms in Offspring of Mothers With Impaired Serotonin Production”
- The New England Journal of Medicine: “Central Precocious Puberty Caused by Mutations in the Imprinted Gene MKRN3”
- Nature: “Germline mitochondrial DNA mutations aggravate ageing and can impair brain development”
- The Journal of Neuroscience: “Female-Specific Intergenerational Transmission Patterns of the Human Corticolimbic Circuitry”
- Springer Link: “Trends in Population Sex Ratios May be Explained by Changes in the Frequencies of Polymorphic Alleles of a Sex Ratio Gene”
- Biological Psychiatry: “Oxidative Stress and Amyloid-Beta Pathology in Normal Individuals with A Maternal History of Alzheimer’s”
- Science: “A mechanism for the elimination of the female gamete centrosome in Drosophila melanogaster”
- PLoS Genetics: “Genetic prediction of male pattern baldness”
Originally Published: September 14, 2020
Charlotte Hilton Andersen
Charlotte Hilton Andersen, BS, MS, has been covering health, fitness, parenting, and culture for many major outlets, both in print and online, for 15 years. She's the author of two books, co-host of the Self Help Obsession podcast, and also does freelance editing and ghostwriting. She has appeared in television news segments for CBS, FOX, and NBC.
FAQs
What are 5 traits that are inherited? ›
- Tongue rolling.
- Earlobe attachment.
- Dimples.
- Curly hair.
- Freckles.
- Handedness.
- Hairline shape.
- Green/Red Colourblindness.
- eye color.
- hair color and texture.
- skin tone.
- blood group (A, B, AB, O)
- freckles.
- color blindness.
- dominant hand.
- dimples.
Among the traits found most strongly determined by heredity were ambition, vulnerability to stress (neuroticism), leadership, risk-seeking, a sense of well-being and, surprisingly, respect for authority. The genetic factor for these traits was found to run somewhere in the region of 50 to 60 percent.
What traits do you get from your father? ›- Eye Colour. Dominant and recessive genes play a role in determining eye colour of the child. ...
- Height. If the father is tall, there is more chance for the child to also be tall. ...
- Dimples. ...
- Fingerprints. ...
- Lips. ...
- Sneezing. ...
- Teeth structure. ...
- Mental disorders.
| active | determined | lazy |
|---|---|---|
| adventurous | dishonest | logical |
| afraid | disrespectful | lonely |
| angry | dull | loud |
| artistic | energetic | loving |
Those traits which an offspring received from their parents are called inherited traits. e.g. hair color, eye color and muscle structure and bone structure etc.
What are inherited traits give example? ›An inherited trait is a trait that is received by an organism from its parents. These traits are controlled by the genes of individuals and hence, transferred from one generation to another. Examples of inherited traits include hair color, eye color, height, skin color, and susceptibility to certain diseases, etc.
Is height an inherited trait? ›Scientists estimate that about 80 percent of an individual's height is determined by the DNA sequence variations they have inherited, but which genes these changes are in and what they do to affect height are only partially understood.
Are the Big Five personality traits inherited? ›According to twin studies, around 40–60% of the variance in the Big Five is heritable,5, 6, 7 with some overlap in heritability between personality traits themselves.
What are special traits? ›- generosity.
- integrity.
- loyalty.
- devoted.
- loving.
- kindness.
- sincerity.
- self-control.
What are personal traits? ›
Personality traits reflect people's characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. Personality traits imply consistency and stability—someone who scores high on a specific trait like Extraversion is expected to be sociable in different situations and over time.
What genes are inherited from mother only? ›Our mitochondrial DNA accounts for a small portion of our total DNA. It contains just 37 of the 20,000 to 25,000 protein-coding genes in our body. But it is notably distinct from DNA in the nucleus. Unlike nuclear DNA, which comes from both parents, mitochondrial DNA comes only from the mother.
What is a family trait example? ›Hairline shape, hair color, and freckles are examples of family traits. A family tendency is a genetic trait.
Do you get your nose from your mom or dad? ›The size and shape of your nose may not be genetically inherited from your parents but evolved, at least in part, in response to the local climate conditions, researchers claim. The nose is one of the most distinctive facial features, which also has the important job of conditioning the air that we breathe.
What do boys get from their father? ›Background: All men inherit a Y chromosome from their father, and all fathers pass down a Y chromosome to their sons. Because of this, Y-linked traits follow a clear paternal lineage.
How many traits are there? ›Psychologists have tried to determine just how many personality traits there might be, and the numbers vary dramatically from one expert to the next. For example, Gordon Allport suggested that there were more than 4,000 different personality traits while Hans Eysenck proposed that there were just three.
What do fathers pass on to daughters? ›Men pass only the Y chromosome to their sons. He will always (100% chance) pass on the gene that does not function properly to his daughters, because he only has one X chromosome, and he passes that X chromosome to all of his daughters.
What are the 10 personality traits? ›- Openness to feelings. “Openness to feelings means that we are not afraid of our feelings,” says Hayes. ...
- Straightforwardness. ...
- Competence. ...
- Warmth. ...
- Positive emotions. ...
- Low levels of angry hostility. ...
- Low anxiety. ...
- Low depression.
The Six Pillars of Character are: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship.
What are positive traits? ›Positive character traits: ambitious, creative, compassionate, patient, courageous, flexible, honest, humble, honorable, loyal, conscientious, persistent, resilient, disciplined.
What features have you inherited from your family members? ›
- Eye colour.
- Hair colour and texture.
- Skin tone.
- Blood group (A, B, AB, O)
- Freckles.
- Colour blindness.
- Dominant hand.
- Dimples.
A family tree of traits are a list of traits that are passed through different generations of a genetically related family. It may include traits such as the color of eyes or size of ears, or may also include traits of temperament, such as sense of humor.
What things can be inherited? ›Inherited traits include things such as hair color, eye color, muscle structure, bone structure, and even features like the shape of a nose. Inheritable traits are traits that get passed down from generation to the next generation.
What are 2 examples of acquired traits? ›- Acquired traits develop during life (organism is not born with it) . ...
- Examples -Things you learned (riding a bike, reading, writing), scars from injury,
- Things that happened to you (short hair, broken bone)
- Acquired Behavior Traits eg: playing musical instrument, dog learning tricks.
As individuals, we vary widely in the level of our thinking skills, or 'cognitive function'. We inherit cognitive function from our parents, in the same way that physical characteristics are passed down. Scientists have discovered that, unlike eye colour, cognitive function is not influenced by a few genes but by many.
Are eye colors inherited? ›Whether eyes are blue or brown, eye color is determined by genetic traits handed down to children from their parents. A parent's genetic makeup determines the amount of pigment, or melanin, in the iris of the his or her child's eye. With high levels of brown melanin, the eyes look brown.
Is your height your mom or dad? ›As a general rule of thumb, your height can be predicted based on how tall your parents are. If they are tall or short, then your own height is said to end up somewhere based on the average heights between your two parents. Genes aren't the sole predictor of a person's height.
What is a simple inherited trait? ›Simply-inherited traits are those where one or just a few genes control the phenotype. Coat color, horned/polled status, and many genetic conditions fall under the category of simply-inherited traits.
What are inherited traits give example? ›An inherited trait is a trait that is received by an organism from its parents. These traits are controlled by the genes of individuals and hence, transferred from one generation to another. Examples of inherited traits include hair color, eye color, height, skin color, and susceptibility to certain diseases, etc.
Are the Big Five personality traits inherited? ›According to twin studies, around 40–60% of the variance in the Big Five is heritable,5, 6, 7 with some overlap in heritability between personality traits themselves.
What physical traits are inherited? ›
Parents pass on traits or characteristics, such as eye colour and blood type, to their children through their genes. Some health conditions and diseases can be passed on genetically too. Sometimes, one characteristic has many different forms. For example, blood type can be A, B, AB or O.
What are the most common genetic traits? ›- Widow's Peak. A widow's peak or the mid-digital hairline is due to expression of the gene for hairline. ...
- Bent Pinkie. ...
- Earlobe Attachment. ...
- Rolling of Tongue. ...
- Cleft Chin. ...
- Dimples. ...
- Handedness. ...
- Natural Curly Hair.
Traits are your physical characteristics, like your hair or eye color. Every living thing has traits that make it unique. Most traits are passed down from parents, however, they can also come from your grandparents or even your great-grandparents. Some traits are also influenced by the environment.
What is a family trait example? ›Hairline shape, hair color, and freckles are examples of family traits. A family tendency is a genetic trait.
What things can be inherited? ›Inherited traits include things such as hair color, eye color, muscle structure, bone structure, and even features like the shape of a nose. Inheritable traits are traits that get passed down from generation to the next generation.
What are some inherited behaviors? ›Inherited and Learned Behaviors - YouTube
What personality traits are we born with? ›- Empathy. Joshua Lott/Getty Images News/Getty Images. ...
- Introversion / Extroversion. Even the way you relate to other people may be predetermined as well, so to speak. ...
- Need For Belonging. ...
- Resiliency. ...
- Curiosity. ...
- Impulsiveness. ...
- Positive Outlook.
Answer and Explanation: The correct answer is (d) dependency. Dependency is not included in the Big Five Model. The traits include are: extraversion, conscientiousness and neuroticism as listed above as well as openness and agreeableness, which are not listed.
Is the Big 5 personality test valid? ›Is the Big 5 test reliable? Theorists say yes. The Big 5 personality traits are respected in the field of psychology. As long as the test you take hews closely to the understanding of these traits, you can be confident that it has the backing of decades of study behind it.
What are the physical traits you got from your parents? ›The DNA in cells contains the genetic information for each individual, including the physical features that we associate with how someone looks, such as hair color, eye color, freckles and dimples. Children inherit physical traits from their parents when parents pass copies of their genes to their children.
What are 5 human characteristics? ›
These five primary personality traits are extraversion (also often spelled extroversion), agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism.
Is height an inherited trait? ›Scientists estimate that about 80 percent of an individual's height is determined by the DNA sequence variations they have inherited, but which genes these changes are in and what they do to affect height are only partially understood.