The 'liberal gene': An instant guide

Scientists say they have found a gene that pushes some people to the left of the political spectrum. Here's how it works

Could this baby have the DRD4 "liberal" gene?
(Image credit: CC BY: Jared and Corin)

Your political views might not be entirely something you pick up at school or in talks around the dinner table — a new study suggests you might have been born with them. Scientists from the University of California-San Diego and Harvard, in a paper published in The Journal of Politics, say they have discovered that some people have a genetic predisposition to liberal thinking. What is this "liberal gene" they found, and does it really decide where a person will end up on the political spectrum? (Watch a discussion about the study)

What did the study find, exactly?

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