The genetics of personality

Abstract

The genetic analysis of human personality, like many other complex traits, has undergone a metamorphosis over the last 10 years. The historically predominant techniques of candidate gene association and linkage are now being replaced by genome-wide association approaches aimed at identifying the small genetic effects that contribute towards individual differences in personality. Like their predecessors, however, these approaches suffer from their own limitations, and as yet there has been no definitive identification of a human gene or variant that robustly contributes to a personality trait (such as Neuroticism). In this chapter we discuss the evidence that personality is heritable, consider the main approaches used to identify individual contributory factors, and outline the barriers to success in this rapidly changing field.