Resources on Behavioral Genetics and its Broader Implications 

This is a list of resources intended to provide a brief introduction to the field of behavioral genetics. The list also provides resources for understanding public perceptions of behavioral genetics, combating misunderstandings and misuse about the field, understanding ethical, legal, and social issues, and providing opportunities for researchers to communicate their work to broad audiences. We hope the list will provide those who visit it with an introduction to our field and an understanding about the best ways to communicate about behavioral genetics.

This list was compiled by the BGA Public Science Committee. The full BGA membership was invited to suggest resources. If you have additional resources for the list, please contact the Public Science Committee (bgapublicscience@gmail.com).



What is behavioral genetics?

Behavioral genetics studies the genetic and environmental influences on individual differences in human behavior. Below are open-access versions of papers and online resources for those interested in a primer on behavior genetics, and some of the methods used today in behavior genetic studies.

Introductory resources

The resources below provide a useful introduction and information on the state of the field, commonly used methods such as genome-wide association studies, and theoretical information on the influence of genes and environment on human outcomes.

• Friedman, N. P., Banich, M. T., & Keller, M. C. (2021). Twin studies to GWAS: There and back again. *Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 25*(10), 855–869. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2021.06.007
• Harden, K. P. (2021). "Reports of my death were greatly exaggerated": Behavior genetics in the postgenomic era. *Annual Review of Psychology, 72*, 37–60. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-052220-103822
• Knopik, V. S., Neiderhiser, J. M., DeFries, J. C., & Plomin, R. (2018). Behavior Genetics (7th ed.). Worth Publishers.
• Plomin, R., DeFries, J. C., Knopik, V. S., & Neiderhiser, J. M. (2016). Top 10 replicated findings from behavioral genetics. *Perspectives on Psychological Science, 11*(1), 3-23. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691615617439
• Polderman, T. J. C., Benyamin, B., de Leeuw, C. A., Sullivan, P. F., van Bochoven, A., Visscher, P. M., & Posthuma, D. (2015). Meta-analysis of the heritability of human traits based on fifty years of twin studies. *Nature Genetics, 47*(7), 702–709. https://doi.org/10.1038/ng.3285
• Scientific American. (2012, August 10). How do genes influence behavior? - Instant Egghead #18 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvk2g9hJMT
• TEDx Talks. (2016, May 16). From genes to addiction: How risk unfolds across the lifespan | Dr. Danielle Dick | TEDxRVA [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAFqr2zUWkM
• Turkheimer, E. (2000). Three laws of behavior genetics and what they mean. *Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9*(5), 160–164. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.00084
• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (n.d.). Heritability. *Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy*. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/heritability/
• Lisabeth DiLalla, Matthew Jamnik, Riley Marshall, Emily Pali. Introductory texts for behavioral genetics.
• The Hastings Center. (n.d.). FAQs on genomic findings on human behavior and social outcomes. *The Hastings Center*. https://www.thehastingscenter.org/genomic-findings-on-social-and-behavioral-outcomes-faqs/
• van Dijk, W., Daucourt, M. C., & Hart, S. A. (2022). Understanding heritability in the context of reading ability and instruction. *The Reading League, 3*(1), 24-34. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9624467/
• The American Society of Human Genetics. (2022). *A journey through genomic research: Myths and realities*. Cell. https://www.cell.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0002-9297%2822%2900545-6
• Segal, Nancy L. Born together-reared apart: The landmark Minnesota twin study. Harvard University Press, 2012.

Misunderstandings and misappropriations of behavioral genetics research; public perception of behavioral genetics research

Unfortunately, behavioral genetics findings are sometimes misunderstood and scientifically misrepresented. In some cases, well-meaning individuals–often non-academic members of the public interested in understanding human behavior and development–misunderstand or misinterpret genetic findings due to a lack of familiarity with the field. Like many academic disciplines, behavioral genetics can be complex, involving complicated statistical analyses and technical jargon. In other cases, individuals deliberately aim to misappropriate and weaponize mainstream genetics research to further harmful arguments regarding group differences. This section includes resources summarizing naive and deliberate misappropriations of behavioral genetics research, as well as discussions about how behavioral geneticists–as individual researchers and as a field–can combat this problem. It also includes resources about public perception of behavioral genetics research. 

• Panofsky, A., Dasgupta, K., & Iturriaga, N. (2021). How White nationalists mobilize genetics: From genetic ancestry and human biodiversity to counterscience and metapolitics. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 175(2), 387–398. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.24150
• Giangrande, E. J., & Turkheimer, E. (2022). Race, Ethnicity, and the Scarr-Rowe Hypothesis: A Cautionary Example of Fringe Science Entering the Mainstream. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17(3), 696-710. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916211017498
• Saini, A. (2019). Superior: The Return of Race Science. Beacon Press.
• Segal, Nancy L. Twin mythconceptions: False beliefs, fables, and facts about twins. Academic Press, 2017.
• Morin-Chassé, A. (2014). Public (Mis)understanding of News about Behavioral Genetics Research: A Survey Experiment. BIOSCIENCE, 64(12). 1170–1177. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biu168
• Morin-Chassé A, Suhay E, Jayaratne TE. Discord Over DNA: Ideological Responses to Scientific Communication about Genes and Race. The Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics. 2017;2(2):260-299. https://doi.org/10.1017/rep.2017.17
• Martschenko, D. O., Domingue, B. W., Matthews, L. J., & Trejo, S. (2021). FoGS provides a public FAQ repository for social and behavioral genomic discoveries. Nature Genetics, 53(9), 1272–1274. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-021-00929-5
• Aikins, M.A., Willems, Y.E., Fraemke, D. et al. Beyond a Shared History: A Biosocial Perspective on Sociogenomics and Racism in Germany. Köln Z Soziol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11577-024-00934-6

Combating misunderstanding and misuse

The National Human Genome Research Institute provides a short, comprehensive overview of the history of scientific misuse of genetics, genomic diversity research, genetic discrimination, and appropriate population descriptors in genomics. They have additionally shared lectures and slides from a seminar on The Meaning of Eugenics: Historical and Present-Day Discussions. For additional topics related to genetics, please refer to their educational resources page and their policy issues page. 

• Wedow, Robbee, Daphne O. Martschenko, and Sam Trejo. “Scientists must consider the risk of racist misappropriation of research.” Scientific American. (2022).
• Graves, J. Population descriptors and behavioural genetic research. Nat Hum Behav 8, 194–196 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01772-w
• Martschenko, D.O., Domingue, B.W., Matthews, L.J. et al. FoGS provides a public FAQ repository for social and behavioral genomic discoveries. Nat Genet 53, 1272–1274 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-021-00929-5
• https://www.thehastingscenter.org/genomic-findings-on-social-and-behavioral-outcomes-faqs/
• Lewis ACF, Molina SJ, Appelbaum PS, Dauda B, Di Rienzo A, Fuentes A, Fullerton SM, Garrison NA, Ghosh N, Hammonds EM, Jones DS, Kenny EE, Kraft P, Lee SS, Mauro M, Novembre J, Panofsky A, Sohail M, Neale BM, Allen DS. Getting genetic ancestry right for science and society. Science. 2022 Apr 15;376(6590):250-252. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abm7530
• Carlson, Henn, Al-Hindi, & Ramachandran (2022), Counter the weaponization of genetics research by extremists. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03252-z
• List of resources from the Center for ELSI Resources and Analysis describing the weaponization of genetics research and efforts to combat it: https://elsihub.org/news/cera-statement-against-weaponization-genetic-research
• ELSIhub Genetics Toolkit: Preventing Misuse of Genetic Science: https://elsihub.org/collection/genetics-toolkit-preventing-misuse-genetic-science
• ELSIhub collection on Race, Genetics, and Genetics Education: https://elsihub.org/collection/race-genetics-and-genetics-education
• What can geneticists do to prevent the misuse of genomic data? (ELSIhub): https://elsihub.org/video/elsiconversations-misuse-genomic-data-session-1
• What can geneticists do to address the misuse of genomic data? (ELSIhub): https://elsihub.org/video/elsiconversations-misuse-genomic-data-session-2

Ethical, legal, and social issues

In 1990, the National Human Genome Research Institute created an Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) research program, which offers a funding priority for a range of topics related to behavioral genetic research. ELSI research addresses questions related to how and why genetic research and findings impact individuals and society in different ways and different contexts. 

• Hastings Report on Controversial Genetics Research https://www.thehastingscenter.org/news/new-report-makes-recommendations-on-controversial-genetics-research/
• Privacy in Genomics National Human Genome Institute https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/policy-issues/Privacy#:~:text=Genomic%20research%20in%20identifiable%20populations,of%20these%20individuals%20or%20groups.
• ‘All of Us’ genetics chart stirs unease over controversial depiction of race https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00568-w
• Buffalo shooting ignites a debate over the role of genetics researchers in white supremacist ideology https://www.statnews.com/2022/05/23/buffalo-shooting-ignites-debate-genetics-researchers-in-white-supremacist-ideology/
• https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-must-consider-the-risk-of-racist-misappropriation-of-research/
• https://www.thehastingscenter.org/the-ethical-implications-of-social-and-behavioral-genomics/
• Polygenic Risk Prediction in Diverse Populations and Contexts: Scientific and Ethical Considerations (ELSIhub): https://elsihub.org/video/polygenic-risk-prediction-diverse-populations-and-contexts-scientific-and-ethical
• Reading list on Race, Genetics, and Genetics Education (ELSIhub): https://elsihub.org/collection/race-genetics-and-genetics-education
• Segal, Nancy. Entwined lives. Penguin, 2000.

Opportunities to support researchers in communicating their work to broad audiences

Science communication to the general audience is extremely important to prevent misconception and misinterpretation. Different types of organizations can help you with communication and dissemination of your research through different channels.

• Psychgeist Media:
• Psychgeist Media is a membership organization for researchers that help researchers pitch proposals (from full drafts to just an idea – Op-eds and the like for sharing research) to the media. They help researchers find appropriate outlets for their work, then work on the actual material for more news outlets. They’ve worked with researchers on pieces published in the LATimes, Washington Post, NYT, USA Today, etc.
• Link: https://psychgeistmedia.org/work-with-us/for-researchers
• Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science
• The Alan Alda Center has a series of workshops for researchers to improve their science communication skills. They have workshops ranging from a few hours to a full two day workshop. They also have virtual workshops and materials. Useful for researchers interested in sharing their work with broader audiences.
• Link: https://www.aldacenter.org/
• ASHG/NHGRI Genomics Communications Fellowship:
• 2 year fellowship for genetics/genomics professionals supporting the creation and dissemination of work to communicate genetics and genomic advances and resources.
• Link: https://www.genome.gov/ASHG-NHGRI-fellowships/genomics-communications
• ASHR/NHGRI Genetics and Public Policy Fellowship:
• 2 year fellowship for genetics/genomics professionals interested in developing and implementing policies related to genetics/genomics research
• Link: https://www.ashg.org/careers-learning/fellowships/policy/
• Advocacy Certificate for Human Genetics and Genomics Trainees:
• Program for ASHG members as an introduction to science policy and advocacy. Builds professional skills.
• Link: https://www.ashg.org/advocacy/advocacy-certificate-trainees/
• Frontiers for Young Minds: a “scientific journal” for children where scientists report their results in an accessible manner together with feedback from the kids themselves:
• Link: https://kids.frontiersin.org/about/journal