The genes that could be helping shape our personalities

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-09-03 01:00

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International researchers have found over 1,000 genetic variants that help shape our personalities. They say that while our personalities aren't set in stone from birth, there is evidence that how our personalities develop is partially driven by our genes - not just our life experiences. The team analysed previous studies on over a million people in total, looking at how genes are linked to the key pillars of personality; extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness to experience. Overall, they say they found 1260 genetic variants that can influence these traits, including 824 new discoveries.

News release

From: Springer Nature

Genetics: Genetic variants associated with human personality

More than 1,000 genetic variants associated with human personality are identified in a meta-analysis of more than 1,000,000 participants published in Nature this week. The study probes the potential links between DNA variations and differences in personalities, specifically looking at five personality traits: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness to experience. The results do not suggest that personality can be directly predicted by DNA; rather, they indicate that some variants may influence behaviour traits, although other environmental factors may still have a greater impact on personality development.

Human personality traits can be divided into five categories, known as the Big Five: extraversion (including traits such as sociability, assertiveness and energy level), agreeableness (compassion, respectfulness and trust), conscientiousness (organization, productiveness and responsibility), neuroticism (anxiety, depression and volatility) and openness to experience (imagination, curiosity and aesthetic sensitivity). Various pieces of research over the past 100 years have demonstrated that genetic and environmental factors contribute to variation in personality. However, attempts to identify genetic signatures associated with personality traits are challenging as multiple genes may be involved and very large participant numbers are needed to make meaningful associations.

Ted Schwaba and colleagues report the findings from a meta-analysis of Genome-Wide Association Study results from 46 cohorts encompassing up to 1,140,000 participants in total (depending on the trait studied). Their analyses uncover 1,260 genetic variants associated with personality, including 824 novel variants that have not previously been linked to personality. The associations are complex, with combinations of multiple variants associated with each trait, but apply to a range of different human groups (such as categories based on age or geographical location). Moderate variation in each trait (estimated at 7.4–10.6%) is associated with measured genetic variants that commonly vary across people. However, other factors such as environment may have a strong influence on human personality traits.
These findings may contribute to further studies investigating the factors that affect personality, the authors conclude.

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conference: Nature

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Michigan State University, USA

Funder: T.S., W.A.A., M.G.N., M.L.C.S., C.M.W. and E.M.T.-D. were supported by NIMH R01MH120219. E.M.T.-D., M.L.C.S., C.M.W., Y.D. and J.d.l.F. were supported by NIA R01AG073593. W.A.A. is also supported by a Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Sciences (OCW) Talent and Early Development Grant. M.G.N., E.C.C., G.H. and G.D.S. are members of the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, which is supported by the Medical Research Council and the University of Bristol (MC_UU_00032/1 and MC_UU_00032/7). J.D.T. was supported by NIMH K01MH141330. W.D.H. and C.X. were supported by a Career Development Award from the Medical Research Council (MRC) (MR/ T030852/1) for the project titled “From genetic sequence to phenotypic consequence: genetic and environmental links between cognitive ability, socioeconomic position, and health”. T.K. was funded by the European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grant awarded under the Horizon Europe framework, grant agreement 101087395. F.S. was supported by the Hector foundation II and by a 2023 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant (31537) from the Brain & Disorder Research. R.C. was supported by the Jacobs Foundation grant no. 2023-1510-00 and the Research Council of Norway (grant no. 325245). H.A. was supported by the research council of Norway (274611, 324620). F.A.T. was supported by Research Council of Norway (262700). E.C.C. was supported by the research council of Norway (RCN; 274611) and the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority (HSØ; 2021045). J.L. received financial support from the Strategic Research Council (SRC) established within the Academy of Finland (decision number 352700). K.I. and U. Vainik have been funded by Estonian Research Council’s personal research funding start-up grants PSG656 and PSG759. R.M. has been funded by Estonian Research Council’s team grant PRG2190. U. Võsa and T.E. have been funded by Estonian Research Council’s team grant PRG1291. A.A. is supported by the Amsterdam UMC Fellowship. T.T. and L.F. were supported in part by the National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program. A.G. was supported by the European Research Council (GEPSI 946647).

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