ABSTRACT

The field of quantitative genetics aims to understand how environmental and genetic factors independently and interactively shape behavioral traits in humans. This chapter reviews the rapidly proliferating literature on how prosocial outcomes are related to measured genes, as opposed to the unmeasured genes that contribute to omnibus genetic effects that are revealed in behavior genetic designs. It introduces some fundamental terms and concepts in molecular genetics. Molecular genetic research, in turn, has implicated several neurotransmitter systems in prosociality. Polymorphisms in genes regulating oxytocin and arginine vasopressin have been associated with prosocial outcomes, although the effect size estimates are variable and usually small. Genes supporting serotonin and dopamine neurotransmission have also been linked to prosocial behavior. To resolve the missing heritability problem, new molecular genetic techniques and larger sample sizes will very likely be prioritized in future research on the genetics of compassion and other prosocial behaviors.