Increasing homozygosity is associated with a less open personality
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Martin Fieder1, Susanne Huber2
1Departement of Evolutionary Anthropology, Universität Wien , Vienna, Austria.
Abstract:
This study investigates associations between genome-wide homozygosity and human personality traits. Using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, comprising approximately 7800 genotyped participants, we calculated runs of homozygosity and inbreeding coefficients from genome-wide SNP data. Personality was assessed with the Midlife Development Inventory. Multivariate and univariate linear models, controlling for sex, birth year and population structure, showed that several genome-wide inbreeding coefficients are significantly associated with some of the Big Five traits. Higher homozygosity was linked to lower openness, lower agreeableness and lower conscientiousness, while extraversion showed a non-significant negative trend and neuroticism showed a non-significant positive trend. These personality patterns may reflect tendencies towards caution and diminished sociability. The findings highlight potential interactions among genetic diversity, social behaviour and personality structure, contributing to the understanding of how evolutionary pressures and population structure shape psychological variation in humans.
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