This one gene might decide if you vote Republican or Democrat

DNA testing
(Image credit: OMAR TORRES/AFP/Getty Images)

Researchers in Singapore have linked variance in a single gene to political leanings. The gene in question, DRD4, is concerned with the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter chemical in the brain. And the gene's presence or absence correlated with study participants' leftward focus on inequality or rightward interest in preserving stability.

This link between genes and politics was observed most strongly in women. "The association between political attitude and DRD4 was highly significant for females," researchers noted, and less clear among men.

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Bonnie Kristian

Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.