Nature vs. Nurture

“I cannot wait to see genes that operate in a vacuum.”

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The “Nature vs. Nurture” debate can be traced to ancient Greece and perhaps earlier.

In the entertainment world, there have been several books, plays, and movies that touch upon the subject matter.

The riddle: How much influence does nature (genetics) versus nurture (environment: culture, family, friends, home, city, etc.) have upon one’s life?

For example, Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper, published in 1881, is a tale about two boys who were born on the same day, one a prince and the other a pauper; they accidentally switch places.

Not coincidentally, Trading Places, the 1983 hit comedy starring Eddie Murphy and Dan Akroyd, pursued the exact same theme.

Recently, I tripped upon a few well-done Khan Academy videos covering this debate. [I link to a few of their videos below.]

The short story: While these videos are very well produced, and the instructors do a fantastic job, the longer you watch them, the more your head will spin.

And spin.

Why?

Well, the instructors work hard to articulate how scientists are doing their best to “tease apart genetics and the environment.”

The instructor uses the example of “tea in hot water.”

Ultimately, though, we arrive at the “money” video:

“Gene Environment Interaction”

It ends with this statement (transcript):

This is the phenomenon known as Gene Envinronment Interaction. So, it's really an interaction between our genes and our environment that initiates the body's responses and behavior. So, we see that the environment is dependent on genetic predisposition. But gene expression is also dependent on the environment. And this is the phenomenon that we're referring to as gene/environment interaction. So, this idea is going to shift our vocabulary away from phrases like nature versus nurture. It's going to bring us to a more correct phraseology, nature through nurture.”

Have you heard the joke about the Zen monk and the hotdog vendor?

His order: “Make me one with everything!”

The longer you watch those videos – frankly, the longer you contemplate this “debate” – the more quickly you realize how futile it is.

“Nature versus nurture” is impossible. Nature through nurture, maybe. More likely, nature with nurture; nature one with nurture.

The Zen monk nailed it.

YOU ARE ONE WITH EVERYTHING.

Your body is NOT as separate as it may seem.

Go jump in the ocean and tell me your body doesn’t have a direct connection with the water.

Walk outside and tell me your body doesn’t have a direct connection with the air.

YOUR BODY IS ONE WITH ITS ENVIRONMENT.

(REPEAT)

Arguably, this is a core, driving idea behind epigenetics.

While it may be helpful to understand the various degrees to which each component influences the other, the “truth” is, that depends – often, a whole lot. (See bottom article.)

This leads us back to the “Three Circles of Behavior Echo System.”

This behavior-change model, Three Circles of Behavior Echo-System, reveals…

(drum roll, please)…

NATURE (genetics) and NURTURE (environment) are ONE!

As far as I know, it’s the only behavior-change model to reveal such a hypothesis.

Neither CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy) nor TTM (Transtheoretical Model) explicitly demonstrate or articulate that one’s body and environment are one.

Take another gander...

According to this behavior model, if something isn’t “Thinking/STORIES” (inner circle), or “Behaviors/Habits/Skills” (middle circle), or “Emotions/Feelings” (conduits/membranes), then that something is part of the “ENVIRONMENT.” This includes one’s body.

BTW: There is just ONE thing, arguably, that is outside the entire “Behavior Echo System.” Unfortunately, that discussion is for another day. Or, you can find the answer/hypothesis here, “EVERYTHING!”

While the timeless nature vs. nurture “debate” may be helpful, there is no way to fully separate one’s genes/body from their environment.

Even genes in a test tube possess an environmental influence.

Rather than debating nature vs nurture, more attention should be placed on the importance of using the ENVIRONMENT to facilitate the behaviors, habits and skills one is trying to cultivate.

Say it with me, “I am one with everything!”

Enjoy the show!

~mg

I teach and coach organizations and individuals worldwide how to best utilize and leverage “The Three Circles of Behavior Echo-System” and the P.A.R.R. [Plan, Act, Record & Reassess] methodology to craft game-changing habits on-demand. Learn more here: The 28-Day Breakthrough!

Reference: Khan Academy Videos

Twin and adoption studies: https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/behavior/behavior-and-genetics/v/twin-studies-and-adoption-studies

Heritability: https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/behavior/behavior-and-genetics/v/heritability

The “Money” video, Gene Environment Interaction: https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/behavior/behavior-and-genetics/v/gene-environment-interaction

Article from the APA - American Psychological Association: Heritability: it's all relative: https://www.apa.org/monitor/apr04/herit.html

MORE: “The Three Circles of Behavior Echo-System” / The Grunburg Behavior Model is a holistic, fluid and dynamic behavior-change model. It is the first behavior-change model to demonstrate how our thoughts, feelings, behaviors and even our environment vibrate (echo and reverberate) to influence each other. Hence, the “Echo-System.”

Learn to optimize your behaviors – cultivate habits and skills – at will and on demand. Background info here.

The next 28-DAY BREAKTHROUGH! Learn more here —»: The 28-Day Breakthrough!

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