Genes Associated With Educational Attainment, Study Claims

A recent study has revealed that genes greatly influence how a person will reach in terms of education. The research noted that the genes they studied showed that these can have an effect on the cognitive skills of a person.

The Guardian said 250 scientists discovered 74 genetic variants which influence how long a person can stay in a university. These variants reportedly involved brain development of a fetus inside a mother's womb.

"Taken together, the 74 genetic variants explain roughly half of 1% of the variation across individuals in educational attainment," study author Daniel Benjamin said. He added that millions of genetic variants could influence how long a person will stay in school.

Mental Conditions

Aside from the preliminary finding, Benjamin said the study also allowed them to have fresher ideas about the biology of the human brains and also study possible mental conditions. It was also explained that the variants for the time spent in education also overlapped with bipolar disorder and Alzheimer's.

It was added by TechTimes that other factors like family, socioeconomic status and personal tastes also play important roles which help people decide on their education levels. The genetic variants also give children traits that can also help them in school and when they apply for work.

Teaching Strategy

"Over the next ten years, I believe that the most important consequence of this kind of study is that it will enable social scientists to statistically remove genetic factors when studying interventions to improve school performance," Benjamin explained. He claimed that these factors will also help teachers with their strategy.

Daily Mail, however, said that there may be links to genes and educational attainment of a person but noted that it is still not "a foregone conclusion." It added that environment and lifestyle also play a great role in a person's aspiration to aspire for higher education levels.