Are People Born Nice or Nasty?
- Thread starter Laura
- Start date
Thor
Jedi Council Member
Although I have no science to back it up, I think there's a connections betweens the karma that a person brings into this incarnation and their genetic profile. I don't think it's a one-to-one relation but in a sense the genes can be seen as the biological expression of the person's karmic history. Seen in this light it makes a lot of sense that some people are pre-wired with a greater susceptibility for expressing niceness.
To tie in edgitarra's comment, my understanding is that our energy body which is also related to our karma is influenced by the people we interact with in general and by our family members in particular. Therefore, the thought, emotions and environment that the pregnant mother was will also effect how the genes express.
Just my two cents :)
To tie in edgitarra's comment, my understanding is that our energy body which is also related to our karma is influenced by the people we interact with in general and by our family members in particular. Therefore, the thought, emotions and environment that the pregnant mother was will also effect how the genes express.
Just my two cents :)
Gonzo
The Living Force
It's hard enough to separate nature from nurture in the present, let alone the effects of nature and nurture on earlier generations and how they are transferred onto their offspring. but it's interesting to consider whether genetic predisposition to niceness is affected by, or mitigates against, the effect of trauma on a parent that gets passed along genetically to their children.
I have met nasty people who come from nasty families, sweet people who come from sweet families, and every permutation in between. Most of the offspring dispositions can be explained by seeing their familial environment. But the logic fails when we encounter genuinely decent parents and horrible children (and vice versa). While we could try to explain away the effects of environmental influence, the picture wouldn't be nearly complete without considering genetics (we aren't at a point where we can even consider metaphysical possibilities, since we have no way of identifying and measuring them). I find it fascinating to consider the possibility that there could be a genetic basis for resilience to psychological trauma as a protector of altruistic tendencies. What I hope is that it doesn't sacrifice the brains ability to retain knowledge of harm (and its sources) to retain such an important human trait.
Thanks for sharing this,
Gonzo
I have met nasty people who come from nasty families, sweet people who come from sweet families, and every permutation in between. Most of the offspring dispositions can be explained by seeing their familial environment. But the logic fails when we encounter genuinely decent parents and horrible children (and vice versa). While we could try to explain away the effects of environmental influence, the picture wouldn't be nearly complete without considering genetics (we aren't at a point where we can even consider metaphysical possibilities, since we have no way of identifying and measuring them). I find it fascinating to consider the possibility that there could be a genetic basis for resilience to psychological trauma as a protector of altruistic tendencies. What I hope is that it doesn't sacrifice the brains ability to retain knowledge of harm (and its sources) to retain such an important human trait.
Thanks for sharing this,
Gonzo
Gonzo
The Living Force
Looking at the authors of the study, E Alison Holman & Michael Poulin contributed on:
E Alison Holman also contributed to:
Haven't looked much into Michael Poulin yet, but their work is quite interesting.
Gonzo
- Mental- and physical-health effects of acute exposure to media images of the September 11, 2001, attacks and the Iraq War.
2013: Roxane Cohen Silver; Judith Pizarro Andersen; E Alison Holman; Daniel N McIntosh; Michael Poulin; Virginia Gil-Rivas
Psychological science 2013;24(9):1623-34.
Described here: https://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/repeated-exposure-to-media-images-of-traumatic-events-may-be-harmful-to-mental-and-physical-health.html
E Alison Holman also contributed to:
- Media’s role in broadcasting acute stress following the Boston Marathon bombings
2013: E. Alison Holman, Dana Rose Garfin, and Roxane Cohen Silver
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/12/05/1316265110.full.pdf
- Environmental stress, oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) polymorphism, and mental health following collective stress.
2013: Rachel G Lucas-Thompson; E Alison Holman
Hormones and behavior 2013;63(4):615-24.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0018506X13000500
- Helping hands, healthy body? Oxytocin receptor gene and prosocial behavior interact to buffer the association between stress and physical health.
2013: Michael J Poulin; E Alison Holman
Hormones and behavior 2013;63(3):510-7.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0018506X13000202
Haven't looked much into Michael Poulin yet, but their work is quite interesting.
Gonzo
obyvatel
The Living Force
axj said:
There has been a discussion on this topic in karma from progenitors? exploring possible connections between Sheldrake's morphogenetic fields and the concept of karma.
SMM
The Living Force
My thanks also for the link obyvatel. This alongside the transgenerational effects of stress WRT stress in the When the Body Says "No" thread are topics that have been on my mind. A very broad area of discussion.
I look forward to reading more on these.
I look forward to reading more on these.