Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Aggression01:47

Aggression

27.8K
Humans engage in aggression when they seek to cause harm or pain to another person. Aggression takes two forms depending on one’s motives: hostile or instrumental. Hostile aggression is motivated by feelings of anger with intent to cause pain; a fight in a bar with a stranger is an example of hostile aggression. In contrast, instrumental aggression is motivated by achieving a goal and does not necessarily involve intent to cause pain (Berkowitz, 1993); a contract killer who murders for...
27.8K
Human Genetics01:28

Human Genetics

611
Human genetics provides a profound framework for understanding the interplay between genetic predispositions and human psychology. At the heart of this discipline lies the study of how genes influence physical traits, behaviors, and susceptibility to diseases. Each person carries a unique genetic code that subtly or significantly shapes their psychological and behavioral landscape.
The complex relationship between genetics and psychology is observable through common biological components such...
611
Behavioral Genetics and Its Designs01:23

Behavioral Genetics and Its Designs

405
Behavior genetics explores how genetic inheritance influences human behavior. It focuses on how genes, passed from parents to offspring, contribute to the development of behavioral traits and tendencies. This branch of genetics seeks to understand the complex interplay between inherited genetic factors and environmental influences in shaping our behaviors.
The primary methodologies used in behavior genetics include family studies, twin studies, and adoption studies, each providing unique...
405
Evolutionary Psychology01:20

Evolutionary Psychology

304
Evolutionary psychology explores the origins of human behavior and mental processes by framing them within the context of natural selection, a theory famously propounded by Charles Darwin. This field asserts that many behaviors common across human societies — ranging from instinctive fear reactions to complex social interactions — arose as evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations enhanced the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors, thereby becoming embedded in the...
304
Secondary Motives: Affiliation Motivation and Aggression Motivation01:21

Secondary Motives: Affiliation Motivation and Aggression Motivation

363
Affiliation motivation is the intrinsic desire to connect with others and belong to a social group, which plays a crucial role in forming and maintaining personal relationships. This type of motivation is essential for psychological well-being, as it provides individuals with a sense of community and support. An example of this is a student who joins a study group in order to feel a sense of connection. People with high affiliation motivation actively seek social approval, take satisfaction in...
363
Inheritance01:25

Inheritance

422
Gregor Mendel's pioneering work on the principles of inheritance fundamentally transformed our understanding of how traits are transmitted from generation to generation. His experiments with pea plants laid the groundwork for the discovery of genes, discrete units within organisms that control heredity.
Each gene exists in pairs, and the combination of these genes from both parents forms an individual's genotype. This genotype is a blueprint of potential traits. Examples of genotype...
422

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Record Linkage as a Tool for Expanding Research Opportunities: Insights from the Netherlands Twin Register and National Health and Population Data in the Netherlands.

Twin research and human genetics : the official journal of the International Society for Twin Studies·2026
Same author

Publisher Correction: Genome-wide association meta-analysis of childhood ADHD symptoms and diagnosis identifies new loci and potential effector genes.

Nature genetics·2025
Same author

Genome-wide association meta-analysis of childhood ADHD symptoms and diagnosis identifies new loci and potential effector genes.

Nature genetics·2025
Same author

Distal-to-proximal etiologically relevant variables associated with the general (p) and specific factors of psychopathology.

Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines·2024
Same author

Direct and Indirect Genetic Effects on Aggression.

Biological psychiatry global open science·2023
Same author

Continuity of Genetic Risk for Aggressive Behavior Across the Life-Course.

Behavior genetics·2021

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 18, 2025

The Resident-intruder Paradigm: A Standardized Test for Aggression, Violence and Social Stress
09:12

The Resident-intruder Paradigm: A Standardized Test for Aggression, Violence and Social Stress

Published on: July 4, 2013

71.0K

Genetics and epigenetics of human aggression.

Veronika V Odintsova1, Fiona A Hagenbeek2, Camiel M van der Laan3

  • 1Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Amsterdam Reproduction and Development (AR&D) Research Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Mental Health Division, Amsterdam Public Health (APH) Research Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Handbook of Clinical Neurology
|August 26, 2023
PubMed
Summary

Genetic studies show aggression is 50% heritable. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) are identifying genetic and epigenetic links, but currently explain only a small part of aggression variance.

Keywords:
Epigenome-wide association studiesEpigenomicsGenome-wide association studiesGenomicsHeritabilityHuman aggression

More Related Videos

Studying Aggression in Drosophila fruit flies
11:06

Studying Aggression in Drosophila fruit flies

Published on: February 25, 2007

15.8K
A New Approach that Eliminates Handling for Studying Aggression and the "Loser" Effect in Drosophila melanogaster
07:19

A New Approach that Eliminates Handling for Studying Aggression and the "Loser" Effect in Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: December 30, 2015

9.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 18, 2025

The Resident-intruder Paradigm: A Standardized Test for Aggression, Violence and Social Stress
09:12

The Resident-intruder Paradigm: A Standardized Test for Aggression, Violence and Social Stress

Published on: July 4, 2013

71.0K
Studying Aggression in Drosophila fruit flies
11:06

Studying Aggression in Drosophila fruit flies

Published on: February 25, 2007

15.8K
A New Approach that Eliminates Handling for Studying Aggression and the "Loser" Effect in Drosophila melanogaster
07:19

A New Approach that Eliminates Handling for Studying Aggression and the "Loser" Effect in Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: December 30, 2015

9.7K

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral genetics
  • Molecular psychiatry
  • Genomics and omics

Background:

  • Human aggression exhibits significant individual variation, but its biological and molecular genetic underpinnings remain largely unknown.
  • Previous research indicates a substantial heritability of aggression, estimated around 50% from family and twin studies.
  • A broad phenotype definition encompassing aggression, antisocial behavior, conduct disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder is used.

Approach:

  • This review synthesizes findings from genomic and omics studies investigating the genetic contribution to aggression.
  • It covers genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for allele associations and epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) for methylation patterns.
  • The review also discusses the construction of Polygenic Scores and DNA methylation scores.

Key Points:

  • Heritability estimates for aggression are consistently around 50% across diverse populations.
  • GWAS and EWAS have identified genetic and epigenetic markers associated with aggression.
  • Current polygenic and DNA methylation scores explain a limited proportion of the variance in aggressive behavior.

Conclusions:

  • Future increases in sample sizes for GWAS and EWAS are expected to yield more discoveries.
  • Multi-omics approaches integrating genomic, epigenomic, and metabolomic data are crucial for a comprehensive understanding.
  • Further research is needed to fully elucidate the complex molecular underpinnings of human aggression.