#728 - Gregory Clark - Is Social Status Determined By Your Genetics?
Jan 6, 2024
01:30:52
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Gregory Clark, Professor of Economics at the University of California, Davis, discusses how genetics heavily determine social status. Topics include heritability of social status, impact on birthrate, effects of attractiveness, challenges in publishing research, and controversial aspects of behavioral genetics.
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Quick takeaways
Social status is heavily predetermined by genetics, limiting social mobility for descendants.
Genetic similarity predicts the correlation of social status, challenging the dominance of cultural factors.
Embryo selection and genetic enhancement may increase societal inequality and disrupt inherited social status.
Deep dives
Strong inheritance of social status through genetics
Research suggests that social status is heavily predetermined by genetics, with descendants having a limited chance of escaping their inherited position. The correlation of social status has remained consistent over 400 years, indicating little change in social mobility. Furthermore, the correlation of social status can be predicted based on genetic similarity, supporting the idea of genetic transmission. These findings challenge the belief that cultural factors play a dominant role in social hierarchy.
Observational data and genetic model predictions
The research examined 425,000 individuals in England over 400 years by analyzing lineage records and marriage data. By comparing the observed correlations in social status to predictions from a genetic model, it was found that people with more genetic similarities had more correlated outcomes. The study also revealed that mothers and fathers played equally significant roles in determining children's outcomes, except for wealth, where fathers had more influence due to historical wealth inheritance patterns.
The stability of social status and marriage patterns
Marriage records from England dating back to 1837 show a consistent pattern of people selecting partners with similar social status. This marriage pattern has remained unchanged over time, leading to slow social mobility. The data also suggests that women do not typically marry up or men marry down in terms of social status. Instead, individuals tend to prioritize the underlying social status of their potential partners. The findings challenge the notion that society is highly meritocratic and that individuals' abilities alone determine their social outcomes.
Implications for social policy and meritocracy
The research highlights the impact of genetics on social status and mobility, suggesting that society is more meritocratic than commonly believed. The findings imply that focusing on education as a means to increase social mobility may not be as effective as other social policies, such as redistributing resources or promoting a diverse mix of high-status immigrants. The study also raises questions about the long-term impact of changing birth rates and the potential to disrupt inherited social status.
Embryo Selection and Genetic Enhancement
The podcast episode discusses the potential impact of embryo selection and genetic enhancement on social mobility and the future of offspring. The speaker mentions that embryo selection, currently limited to choosing embryos from one's own genetic pool, may become more widespread, particularly in countries like China. This could lead to an arms race among families to enhance their children's genetic traits, potentially resulting in increased societal inequality. The speaker also mentions the importance of genetic traits, such as physical attractiveness, in intergenerational social mobility, highlighting the influence of genetics on individuals' educational, occupational, and income attainment.
The Controversy Surrounding Behavioral Genetics
The podcast delves into the controversy surrounding behavioral genetics and the impact it has on personal agency, meritocracy, and societal beliefs. The speaker discusses the pushback against genetic explanations, which are often labeled as right-wing or bigoted. The increasing feminization of academia and the shifting focus towards empathy and people-oriented perspectives may contribute to the resistance against genetic explanations. The speaker also explores the tension between individual merit and genetic predispositions, acknowledging the disempowering nature of genetic determinism for individuals striving for personal success. The podcast concludes with the speaker's observation that while genetics plays a significant role, individuals can still make choices and take risks to shape their own outcomes in life.
Gregory Clark is a Professor of Economics at the University of California, Davis, researcher and an author.
Everyone has a dream of making a better life for their family. But fascinating new research suggests that your social status is heavily predetermined by your genetics, and that your descendants escaping the position they've always been in is very unlikely.
Expect to learn if social status is actually heritable, how much genetics really plays a role in social hierarchy, how researchers can tell where the next 10 generations of children will fall on the social ladder, how higher and lower social status can impact the birthrate, why more attractive people have more social status, the difficulties of publishing research like this and much more...
