«It’s easier for those of us who have a high level of intelligence»

Psychologies: Psychogenetics claims that not only physical but also mental traits are transmitted with genes. Then why haven’t liars, manipulators, rude people and other types that no one wants to deal with have died out as a result of natural selection so far?

Marina Egorova, psychogeneticist: Because each gene is usually responsible not for one, but for several qualities at once. So the question is not so naive. For example, many children are born with «hyperactivity disorder and attention deficit disorder.» They are impulsive, inattentive, it is difficult for them to communicate with other children.

A lack of attention leads to delays in mental development, because it is difficult for a child to learn. This syndrome is caused by a mutation in one of the genes, the dopamine hormone transporter. But the same mutation turns out to be associated with a greater openness to new experience — and this, you know, is a very useful trait.

In addition, the owners of the negative traits you are talking about have their own evolutionary strategy. They are more focused on short-term relationships. In long-term relationships, their unpleasant features, of course, are obvious to everyone. But when meeting such people, they are popular: they have a craving for risk, a thirst for novelty, and many people like it. And children from short-term relationships, as you understand, are born in no less numbers than from long and stable ones.

Recently, I have been studying the so-called “dark triad of personality” — negative characteristics, the owners of which feel quite good, which cannot be said about the people around them. Along with narcissism and psychopathy, it includes Machiavellianism — a tendency to deceive and manipulate in order to achieve momentary goals.

Are these features related?

As a rule, if a person has one of them, it is very likely that he also has the other two. Narcissism is associated with the desire to be in the center of attention, the expectation of admiration and at the same time — with contempt for everyone around and their shameless use.

Psychopathic personality disorders manifest themselves in two areas. The first is non-normative and even asocial behavior. He came, for example, to an unfamiliar company and from the threshold he got nasty to everyone: such people do not consider it necessary to restrain their feelings. The second is emotional coldness, in a sense, even stupidity. Such people do not understand the emotions of others — partly because they themselves do not experience anything like that.

And here is a triad for you: I am the best, and therefore everyone should simply serve me unselfishly; I am not going to understand what is considered acceptable behavior and what is not, and I do not care about other people’s feelings; I know how, when necessary, to make a good impression, to play on the weaknesses and gullibility of others.

In general, the characteristics included in the «dark triad» are compensatory. This means that with their help a person is trying to achieve what he cannot achieve in socially approved ways. He can deceive, disregard other people’s opinions due to the fact that he does not know how and is not able to learn how to convince, compromise or obtain sufficient qualifications. It is difficult for such people to create a strong family, stable relationships, get along in a team.

It’s an unpleasant character. And it seems common in today’s life?

It is unlikely that there are more such people. Rather, the criteria for assessing success have changed. And in this situation, the “dark triad” provides certain advantages, which is why it is so in demand today. The ability to get funding for a grand project is more important than the ability to implement it. And meager results do not lead to an analysis of the causes of failure and to an assessment of the qualifications of the performers.

Candidates seeking to become deputies of various levels can promise anything, being sure that they will never have to answer for unfulfilled promises. And vice versa, societies that are interested in the real efficiency of the work of their citizens consider the results of work in the long term, so the advantages of the carriers of the «dark triad» become very doubtful.

Perhaps such people should be sympathized with, but I would like to stay away from them. Are there ways to counter the Machiavellians?

The best way is to use your intellect. It makes sense to pay attention not only to how convincingly a person speaks and gesticulates expressively, but also to what he says: for example, whether his arguments are serious and whether he understands the problem well. You should not suppress your doubts under the influence of the “crowd” (“there are so many people who trust him!”).

It is easier for those of us who have a high level of intelligence. Then we can think critically, are able to compare facts, notice contradictions, and at least less often step on the same rake a second time. And besides, intelligence is also a buffer characteristic. It saves from many troubles, reducing the risk of even that which, it would seem, has nothing to do with intelligence.

Adolescents with higher intelligence are less likely to associate with criminal companies (with the same socio-economic status of families). If one of the parents suffers from a mental disorder, then the child is often genetically predisposed to the same pathology, but the likelihood of its occurrence is lower in children with high intelligence. So intelligence is our best defense.

What determines the level of intelligence and other strengths of ours?

All psychological characteristics of a person are polygenic, that is, they are determined by many genes. And if a combination of genes in parents contributed to the development of, for example, a good memory, this does not mean that the combination of their child’s genes will be as promising.

In general, the influence of the genotype is noticeable in the study of most characteristics of temperament, the cognitive sphere — spatial, mathematical, verbal-logical abilities, as well as attention and perception. It depends on the genotype how stable these characteristics are, and the influence of the environment is more likely to appear in the changes that occur with age.

For example, 40% of our differences in temperament depend on the genotype and 60% on the environment. But at the same time, the difference in intelligence is already 50% due to the genotype and 50% to the environment, and for some characteristics of memory or attention, the ratio will be even greater in favor of the genotype.

So, if nature has deprived us of some abilities, can they be developed?

To a certain extent. As a child, I played music. Our orchestra teacher, scolding us for laziness, said that labor creates a musician. Without labor, even what is there will not manifest itself. And by working, you can achieve what you could not even count on. And he liked to cite as an example a young musician who at that time began solo performances. “Here, listen to how he plays,” my teacher said. “But this is only work, there is nothing else at all!”

It is encouraging.

Assuming that my teacher was right in his assessment. I will not undertake to judge whether only labor created this musician (by the way, his solo career ended quickly). But undoubtedly, no one reaches special heights without serious efforts. However, we must also keep in mind that there are sensitive periods — the most favorable time for the formation of certain psychological qualities. So, children whose families speak two languages ​​master them perfectly — even without a penchant for languages.

So, can we still make up for what we did not get?

In general, we are not studying the genetics of properties, but the genetics of differences. We do not undertake to judge why a person has this or that characteristic, but we find out what causes the difference in these characteristics in different people. The most interesting thing for me is the study of the interaction of the genotype and the environment.

Imagine an adopted child. He has a biological mother, whom he could hardly see at all, and there is a foster mother who brings him up. With the first mother, this child has a commonality only in genes, with the second — only in terms of the influence of the environment.

Here are those who have a genetically higher than average level of intelligence, they will take the best from the environment and surpass it. And the average in terms of intelligence children will stand on a par with the environment. That is why the circumstances in which the child lives and grows up are important.