Are Mean People Born That Way? Your Thoughts

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/18/are-mean-people-born-that-way/?hpt=hp_t3

Let's face it - everyone isn't nice. In fact, being nice is more difficult for some people than others. But is it possible that "niceness" is predetermined by our genes?
A new study in the journal Psychological Science suggests this: If you think the world is full of threatening people, you're not going feel compelled to be generous by doing things like volunteering and donating to charity. But if you have certain gene variants, you're more likely to be nice anyway.
Now hold on a minute - this doesn't give your mean neighbor an excuse to blame his DNA for not letting kids on the block play on his lawn.
It's a little more complicated than that.

The research: A few questions and some spit

 

Hi kayrose,

I did not read your links, but being "mean" might be perceived differently by different people...such as her kids think she is mean because she will not allow them to have cellphones.

I do think that you reap what you sow or...what goes around comes around. If you expect the world to treat you badly you will probably have a difficult life.

 

Will you all shut up!! Oh wait that was mean.

 

See what I mean, kayrose?

 

You are all downright mean. No one has given me access to your PayPal accounts so I could enjoy a better lifestyle. :snckr:

 

Did you mean mean or just mean.
I mean to say ......if you mean mean then you must take the mean of the mean definitions to discover what mean you mean.
Oh ..............you know what I mean !!

 

I blame their Parents..........Now back to the mean people topic

 

with you all the way match.

i think we LEARN WHAT WE LIVE.
KAyrose
love

 

I didn't read the whole article but the way I think about it is there are three ways that probably define how are personalities end up;

1. Genes (as the article mentions), or possibly how each of our unique brains are wired as we grow up.
2. Actions of others to us/influence of others, be it parents or friends.
3. Our own actions, though this could technically be influenced by others or the actions of others.

All likely total up to give us certain traits and personalities, be it mean, nice, etc

 

In part I agree with you woody but I think you missed out on Morals, Principals, and Motivation.

I think myself that their is too much emphasis on Material possessions, and Competition, and not enough on Morals and Principals.

and if you give it a little thought, as people turn away from religion, the Morals and Principals are being lost.

Be a believer or a non believer, the fact is that most religions teach us to live sociably and with consideration to what effect our action have.

but after saying that, I think that over the centuries all the religions have been manipulated and corrupted by material gain.

Jesus Christ, Mohamed , Moses, Buddha, and all the other great prophets that started the main religions were born in poverty lived in poverty and died in poverty, so why now today does the religions they started have so much wealth?

 

An example here , in my life.

My physician son,SAID to me
MOm, i learned my compassion from you.
The Most beautiful compliment I have ever had
in my life.
as OPPOSED to the coldness from his father.

So i do think children do learn what they live.
kayrose