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Genetics help shape how peers are chosen
RICHMOND, Va., Aug. 9 (UPI) -- The company we keep may be influenced by genetics, a study by U.S. researchers shows.

Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University report that as people grow up, genes become increasingly important in influencing how they choose their peer groups.

Lead author Kenneth S. Kendler, a professor of psychiatry and human genetics in the university’s School of Medicine, examined peer group behavior among about 1,800 male twin pairs from mid-childhood to early adulthood between 1998 and 2004.

Through interviews, researchers found genetic factors increasingly impact how male twins make choices as they mature and develop their own social groups.

“Our results demonstrate clearly that a complete understanding of the pathway from genes to antisocial behaviors, including drug abuse, has to take into account self-selection into deviant versus benign environments,” he said. “The effects of peers in adolescence can be quite powerful, either encouraging or discouraging deviant behaviors. Peers also provide access to substances of abuse.”

The study was published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

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