In A Popularity Contest, DNA Gives An Edge

New Study Suggests Natural Selection Plays A Role In Likeability

(AP)  Popularity seems to have an inherited component, U.S. researchers say.

Nicholas Christakis of Harvard University, along with Christopher Dawes and James Fowler of University of California, San Diego, studied 1,110 twins in a population of more than 90,000 adolescents.

They measured indications of popularity such as the number of times an individual was named as a friend. They also looked at whether an individual tended to be at the center or the edges of a social group.

There was more similarity between the social positions of identical twins than of fraternal twins, an indication that the measures of popularity had an inherited component, the researchers report in Tuesday's edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

While identical and fraternal twins both have the same parents, identical twins come from the same egg while fraternal twins are fertilized separately.

"One of the things that the study tells us is that social networks are likely to be a fundamental part of our genetic heritage," Fowler said in a statement. "It may be that natural selection is acting on not just things like whether or not we can resist the common cold, but also who it is that we are going to come into contact with."

There may be an evolutionary explanation for this genetic influence and the tendency for some people to be at the center while others are at the edges of the group, the researchers said. If a deadly germ is spreading through a community, individuals at the edges are least likely to be exposed. However, to gain access to important information about a food source, being in the center of the group has a distinct benefit.

[sassalin]

incog-nito,

My thoughts exactly. DNA does play a role as far as looks but really did it take a study to figure this out.

Everyone is attracted to people based on looks first then you get to know the person and that says what type of person they are.

[presjfk]

As if anyone needed more proof that life is not fair.

[jsutaguy]

Well, now that the news is out, I''m sure we will all be looking forward to the new ABC primetime show: "Mating with the Stars"

[rwsmith29456]

If traits like charming personality, good looks, etc. can be inherited wouldn''t that tend to make popularity inherited? This doesn''t sound like a revelation to me.

[incog-nito]

"There was more similarity between the social positions of identical twins than of fraternal twins..."

Helloooo!!! Of course there is. Yes, DNA has something to with it. Look at them. They LOOK the same. People are more likely to react to them the same way.

How much did this study cost again?

[docadams3]

Did they control for socio-economic status? I''d put money on that before DNA of any kind.

[solarrays247-2009]

Also, be prepared to be hearing from mrs_bun....betcha''.

[mnelsonix]

Lady_Organs and Mrs_Z will have something to say on this...