NationStates Jolt Archive

Sure, this may be an aberration, but it's interesting, nonetheless...

In 1979 University of Minnesota psychologist Thomas J. Bouchard studied a pair of twins, Jim Lewis and Jim Springer, who had been separated at birth. Here's what he found on interviewing them at age 39:

* Both men had had first wives named Linda, divorced them and married women named Betty.
* Lewis named his first son James Alan; Springer named his James Allan.
* Both named their dogs Toy.
* Both had worked as gas station attendants and for the same hamburger chain.
* They drove the same type of car and bought the same brands of cigarettes and beer.
* They regularly took annual vacations at the same Florida resort.
* Both disliked baseball but enjoyed stock-car racing and woodwork.
* Both gained and lost weight at the same age, bit their fingernails compulsively and had had a minor heart attack.
* Both suffered from migraines.

"Our findings continue to suggest a very strong genetic influence on almost all medical and psychological traits," Bouchard said. After an extensive study of separated twins, he concluded that shyness, political conservatism, dedication to hard work, orderliness, intimacy, extroversion, conformity, and a number of other social traits are largely heritable.

Found on the blog Futility Closet (http://www.futilitycloset.com/2006/05/14/doppelgangers/); corroborated by Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_J._Bouchard_Jr.).

So, what is your genetic destiny? ;)

and then there are the identical twin where one is gay and one isnt. go figure

Do you think maybe twins who live together make and effort to be different from each other?

I can't exactly see myself having a "genetic destiny", as I'm literally nothing like my parents. I have mannerisms that carried over, but that's about it.

I can't exactly see myself having a "genetic destiny", as I'm literally nothing like my parents. I have mannerisms that carried over, but that's about it.

Yeah. I can see similarities in a handful of ways, but definitely not in other, more substantial ones. (not to say that we don't get along, of course)

I'm one of two people (the other being my uncle) in my entire extended family that has attended university, for example, and a member of a scant minority that actually finished high school.

My immediate family is fine, but within my extended family, there are drug addicts, fundamentalist christians and people who believe that muslims and homosexuals should be shot in the back of the head and thrown in a ditch. ("Cost ya fakkin 15 cents for a bullet and the fakkin problem is fixed aye?")

I'd like to think that i'm none of those things and not predisposed to become any of them, I think. ;)

I'm reminded of my ex-boyfriend's family where every second generation are criminals. This dates back hundreds of years to when they were gypsies.

High intelligence and mental illness are the two things that run most reliably in my family. They run as reliably as water does downhill.

Roberts (or Bobs) run in my family. My father was Bob. I had two Uncle Bobs (married to my mother's sisters). My brother is named Bob. I have a cousin Roberta and a cousin Robert (called Bob). My grandfather and great-grandfather are both Roberts. We're just Bob-Bob-Bobbin along. Of course, the Navy runs in the family too. My parents were both in the Navy, my brother was in the Navy, two of my cousins were in the Navy, my kids were in the Navy.

Coincidence? I think not.

Roberts (or Bobs) run in my family. My father was Bob. I had two Uncle Bobs (married to my mother's sisters). My brother is named Bob. I have a cousin Roberta and a cousin Robert (called Bob). My grandfather and great-grandfather are both Roberts. We're just Bob-Bob-Bobbin along. Of course, the Navy runs in the family too. My parents were both in the Navy, my brother was in the Navy, two of my cousins were in the Navy, my kids were in the Navy.

Coincidence? I think not.

Do you think that liking the name Bob is an inherited trait or a learned one?

I'm destined to be a future Darwin Award winner. :(

Do you think that liking the name Bob is an inherited trait or a learned one?

I know my grandmother liked having three sons-in-law named Bob. She said that if anyone of them ever overheard her talking about them, she could just say it was one of the other Bobs she was talking about.

I'm destined to be a future Darwin Award winner. :(Since you've reproduced to the tune of three offspring I think it's a little late.

I can't exactly see myself having a "genetic destiny", as I'm literally nothing like my parents.

It doesn't necessarily work like that.

Since you've reproduced to the tune of three offspring I think it's a little late.

YAY! :D

It doesn't necessarily work like that.

Then what does it work like? I can only think of one person in my entire extended family that is really anything like me (and even then, not *really*), and that's out of a lot of people.

Then what does it work like? I can only think of one person in my entire extended family that is really anything like me (and even then, not *really*), and that's out of a lot of people.

I am the only person in my extended family without red hair.......