CONTINUED...
"Friends tend to smell things the same way," said Fowler. In prehistoric days, for example, people who liked the smell of blood might hunt together, whereas gatherers might prefer the smell of wildflowers. Nowadays, Fowler says, that translates into people who like the smell of coffee congregating at coffee shops.
Researchers say that our DNA could be a driving force behind the activities we are drawn to and the social activities we engage in. As such, we are more inclined to interact and foster friendships with people who are genetically similar.
Also, the genes that we have in common most with our friends, are also under the most rapid evolution. They seem to be evolving at a rate faster than our other genes, the researchers say.
"Social networks may be turbo charging evolution," said Fowler.
"Not only with respect to the microbes within us but also to the people who surround us. It seems that our fitness depends not only on our own genetic constitutions, but also on the genetic constitution of our friends," said Christakis.
Conversely, researchers also found that the people we choose to associate with tend to be immunologically different, which may offer us extra immunological protection. This supports past research that found spouses tend to have different immune system genes.
"There may also be advantages to complementary rather than synergy when it comes to immune system function," said Fowler. "You don't want to be susceptible to disease that your spouse or friend is susceptible to. You want to be immune to those diseases because it could provide an extra wall of protection so they don't pass them on to you."
This study, researchers say, also lends support to the view of humans being metagenomic -- meaning we're not only a combination of our own genes but of the genes of the people with whom we closely associate.
"Most of the study of genetics has been one gene, one outcome," Fowler said. "I think this is going to completely change the way we think about genetics. We have to look beyond ourselves."
No comments:
Post a Comment