Your Genes Can Predict How Far You Reach In School, Says Scientists

New research suggests that genes may predict the education level of individuals. Seventy-four genes were identified that partially indicate how far a person can get in school.

The finding indicates that each person has different education levels, depending on the gene variant that they possess. However, the extent in which genes predict education only constitutes less than 0.5 percent of the outcome. Even if all known genetic variants all over the human genome are included, the influence will only be up to 3 percent. Several other factors help determine a person’s educational capacity, such as family circumstances, environment, diet and opportunity.

The Test Results

The Verge notes that during the study of how genes predict education, the scientists defined educational attainment as the total school years that a person completes. They observed the genomes of about 300,000 individuals and determined whether people with one version of a genetic variant were more likely to complete school, compared to those who have another version of the genetic variant.

The team verified the results by replicating the genes that predict education in 111,000 subjects. In the end, 74 genetic variants were found, which when combined, may explain about 0.43 percent of the schooling difference among individuals.

According to the scientists, even one gene can predict education. The study focused on genes that were very active in the brain, which may contribute in neural development.

“For the variant with the largest effect, the difference between people with zero copies and those who have two copies predicts, on average, about nine more weeks of schooling," said Daniel Benjamin, professor at University of Southern California and study author, in a report by Live Mint.

Increasing the Genetic Influence on Education

Peter Visscher, scientist at the Centre for Neurogenetics and Statistical Genomics at the Queensland Brain Institute in Australia, said that based on previous studies on how genes predict education, the total contribution from all genetic variants on individual differences on educational attainment is 20 to 40 percent. The gap can be further filled by increasing the sample size from thousands to millions. Some of the genes also predicted risk for mental conditions like dementia, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

The researchers stated that the study may help people better understand how environmental changes can affect genetic influences on behavior and potential applications. They also cautioned about the possibility of discrimination based on genetic profiles. They discouraged making direct comparisons on how genes predict education and intelligence.

The findings on how genes predict education were published in Nature.