Discover the “trust gene” that gives you faith. It makes you think about your definition of self and identity.

【Discovered the “trust gene” that gives people faith.】
https://nazology.net/archives/152119

・A study conducted at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) in Denmark has revealed the existence of a “trust gene” (PLPP4) that gives people the ability to trust strangers.

・Differences in the function of a single gene, called PLPP4, explain 6% of our ability to trust others.

・A gene called FTO is often cited as a major influence on differences in human body size, but this gene is responsible for only 0.34% of the differences.

・The fact that a single gene can raise or lower the power to believe by as much as 6% is astounding.

・Previous studies have shown that people who trust strangers have longer life spans and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those who are more skeptical.

・Researchers predict that the trust gene (PLPP4) may somehow modulate the fight-or-flight response system.

・People who trusted strangers were less likely to develop neurosis, depressive symptoms, depression, and ADHD.

・In the future, if we can create drugs that strengthen trust genetics, we may be able to prevent heart disease and improve depression.

These are the quotes from the article

It makes you think about your definition of self, your identity.

The “trust gene” that gives us such power, the ability to believe in people.

Very interesting.

As genome analysis progresses in the future, it will become increasingly clear which genes have what roles and functions.

If the roles and functions of various genes can be identified through genetic analysis, gene therapy will become a possibility.

In other words, it will be possible to tamper with such genes,

Whenever I hear such a story, I always think to myself, “What is the basis for this?

What defines who we are (and on what basis)? What is identity?

For example,

Let’s say that by tweaking my trust gene, my trusting personality or nature is leveled up. In addition, let’s say that I also tweaked my affection gene and empathy gene and had them leveled up as well.

Thanks to genetic manipulation, I have become a human being, with a high degree of trustworthiness, love, and empathy.

But is this genetically engineered me still the same person, Makoto Ogata? Can I still define myself as I was before?

I, personally, think that it is hard to define.

Thanks to the development of medicine, plastic surgery is easy, and it is possible to make a person look like a completely different person. But even if my face changes, I will still be able to define myself as myself.

We can now do organ transplants, too,

You can get a heart, a liver, and various organs from another person.

In the extreme, even if most of your body parts are made up of another person’s parts, as long as your head and brain are your own, I think you can define yourself as yourself.

However, when it comes to genetically tweaking aspects of personality and human nature,

Is it just me, or does the definition of “self” become a bit vague?

Well, this is just my personal opinion.

What is myself?

What is the definition of self?

When I think about it,

I think “self is my thought, my way of thinking, my human nature, and my character,” and that is why I think (question) like the above.

In any case,

In the future, more and more genes will be discovered that influence personality and human nature as described above.

Beside such discoveries,

I am still the same: What is identity? What is identity? I will continue to ask myself, “What is identity? Because that is who I am, Makoto Ogata. (Self-identity, identity)^^

What do you think?

See you then

For example, if you were reincarnated into someone else’s life, would you be able to become the person Makoto Ogata is today? Probably, it would be next to impossible. In the extreme, if you were born a politician’s son, you might become a politician. When you think about it, again, on a different level, you may be asking yourself, “What is my identity, what is my self? What is the definition of self?” It makes me think about a lot of things.