Behavioral Genetics: From Science News to Political Preferences
Creators: name: Morin-Chassé, Alexandre
Publisher: name: Center for ELSI Resources and Analysis
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Genetics
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Ethics
subject: Science
subject: ELSI
subject: behavioral genetics
subject: genetic essentialism
subject: eugenics
subject: narratives

description: Today, once marginal far-right political parties are supported by a growing proportion of the electorate. Some far-right figures insist that foreigners are and will always remain fundamentally different from natives; others do not hesitate to describe them as belonging to inferior races. Many far-right parties also prescribe gender roles according to traditional norms. Meanwhile, on what may seem like a different planet, scientists study how genes impact human beings. The few genetics research findings that reach the attention of the public do so mainly through the lenses of news outlets, most of which are thirsty for controversial findings. Mounting experimental evidence suggests that humans possess a cognitive bias called psychological essentialism that influences both how they think about genetic causes and interpret narratives about genetic science, including media accounts. Narratives about a genetic influence on a behavioral characteristic, as one particularly salient example, can increase belief in the influence of genetics on other behavioral characteristics for which genetic attribution is less certain. For example, following exposure to articles about behavioral genetics research, participants were more likely to believe that social differences are inherited, predictable and immutable, and to see ethnic differences and gender differences as rooted in their genetic makeup. Media accounts of behavioral genetics research can therefore activate the genetic essentialist thinking that is associated with far-right political preferences. This list of essential readings gathers contemporary works published over the last decade. It begins with a primer for readers less familiar with genetic essentialism and its connections with adverse social outcomes such as stereotype endorsement, prejudicial attitudes, and discriminatory behavior. This list then gathers experimental evidence illustrating how media coverage of research studying behavioral, population, and gender genetics can cause genetic essentialism. Next, this collection presents studies showing how genetic essentialism is, in turn, associated with nationalism, authoritarianism, sexism, as well as support for far-right political parties and radical political preferences. Overall, this collection raises the possibility that news stories about the genetics of social differences may facilitate public acceptance of those essentialist arguments at the core of contemporary far-right discourse and ideology. Future works should examine if support for far-right political parties increases following exposure to behavioral genetics. On top of this, a key challenge remains to be addressed: can behavioral genetics research be effectively disseminated without activating essentialist biases? Recent works in science education show that well-designed, in class interventions can lead students to acquire genomic literary while simultaneously learning how to refute essentialist thinking (see the ELSIhub Collection by Donovan and Martschenko). However, some may doubt that the same ambitious goal can be achieved within the limited length and scope of conventional science news stories.