Study: We're more aggressive toward people we believe are genetically different

If we believe another person has similar DNA to our own, we're more likely to treat them kindly. If we're told they're genetic strangers, we're more likely behave aggressively.

So finds new research from a team led by Harvard psychologist Sasha Kimel, who conducted a series of four experiments which indicated that "learning about the genetic difference between oneself and an ethnic outgroup may contribute to the promotion of violence, whereas learning about the similarities may be a vital step toward fostering peace in some context."

The researchers focused on Americans of Jewish or Arabic ancestry, presenting the study participants with articles claiming the two groups were either very genetically similar or quite different. (In reality, geneticists differ on this question, and there are multiple ways to measure such a difference or lack thereof.) In subsequent tests, participants displayed more hostility toward the other ethnic group if they had been exposed to the article emphasizing genetic dissimilarity.

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For a final experiment, the researchers conducted interviews with Jews on a commuter train in Israel, again using the conflicting articles. While those who read that Jews and Arabs are genetic neighbors did not display different attitudes about the Israel-Palestine conflict compared to the control group, those who read the "genetic strangers" story were significantly more negative in their policy preferences and predictions of peace.