| 1. |
- Dreber Almenberg, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Arginine Vasopressin 1a Receptor (Avpr1a) Rs3 Repeat Polymorphism Associated with Entrepreneurship
- 2012
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Ingår i: SSRN Electronic Journal. - : Elsevier BV. - 1556-5068.
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Entrepreneurship is crucial to the creation and development of every industry, and considerable work in economics, psychology, management, and other fields of social science has been devoted to analyzing characteristics of these individuals. Twin studies suggest that entrepreneurship has a genetic component, but so far no specific genes have been robustly identified.Methodology/Principal Findings: In a sample of 135 highly accomplished managers, we examine the frequencies of three genotypes: the long-repeat genotype of the RS3 microsatellite in the arginine vasopressin 1a receptor promoter region (AVPR1a), the 7-repeat genotype of the dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4), and the low-activity Monoamine Oxidase A (MAOA) genotype. We find that individuals who have founded more companies are significantly more likely to be homozygous for the long-repeat allele of AVPR1a. Furthermore, even among individuals who founded fewer companies, we find a higher frequency of the long-long genotype in our sample compared to data reported in outside studies not related to entrepreneurship. Conversely, no such relationship with entrepreneurship is observed for DRD4 or MAOA.Conclusions: The genetic associations (and lack thereof) reported here identify AVPR1a and not DRD4 or MAOA as a potential candidate for future research into the genetic underpinnings of entrepreneurship. However, our results should be interpreted with caution given the sample size and the prevalence of false positives in this literature.
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| 2. |
- Dreber Almenberg, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Dynamic remodeling of in-group bias during the 2008 residential election
- 2009
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - : National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; , s. 6187-6191
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- People often favor members of their own group, while discriminating against members of other groups. Such in-group favoritism has been shown to play an important role in human cooperation. However, in the face of changing conflicts and shifting alliances, it is essential for group identities to be flexible. Using the dictator game from behavioral economics, we demonstrate the remodeling of group identities among supporters of Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. After Clinton's concession in June 2008, Democrats were more generous toward supporters of their own preferred candidate than to supporters of the other Democratic candidate. The bias observed in June persisted into August, and disappeared only in early September after the Democratic National Convention. We also observe a strong gender effect, with bias both appearing and subsiding among men only. This experimental study illustrates a dynamic change in bias, tracking the realignment of real world conflict lines and public efforts to reconstitute group identity. The change in salient group identity we describe here likely contributed to the victory of Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election.
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| 3. |
- Dreber Almenberg, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Genetic Correlates of Economic and Social Risk Taking
- 2012
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Ingår i: SSRN Electronic Journal. - : Elsevier BV. - 1556-5068.
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Economic risk taking is different from social risk taking. In experimental economics, the former is typically measured through an individual’s willingness to trade off variance for expected value, whereas the latter is typically measured by the trust game (TG) where one individual can send an amount of money that is multiplied to another individual who can choose to send something back. Twin studies suggest that both types of risk taking have a genetic component. Molecular genetics studies attempt to identify the specific genetic loci involved in this transmission.Methodology/Principal Findings: We test the association between economic risk taking, as measured by an investment game, and social risk taking, as measured by giving in the TG, with polymorphisms in three different genes: the 7-repeat genotype of the dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4), the long-repeat genotype of the RS3 microsatellite in the arginine vasopressin 1a receptor (AVPR1a RS3) and the low-activity version of Monoamine Oxidase A (MAOA). Our sample consists of 135 individuals that are owners, presidents and managers of large companies. After correcting for multiple testing we find only one significant result: the 7-repeat genotype of DRD4 is negatively related to social risk taking (i.e. trusting behavior). This result is contrary to our expectation.Conclusions: We are unable to replicate previous findings of relationships between economic risk taking and polymorphisms in DRD4 and MAOA, and find no relationship between AVPR1a RS3 and either economic or social risk taking. The novel negative association we find between DRD4 and social risk further emphasizes the difference between economic and social risk taking, although this genetic association should be interpreted with caution given that it is not consistent with our priors.
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| 4. |
- Dreber Almenberg, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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The Dopamine Receptor D4 Gene (DRD4) and Self-Reported Risk Taking in the Economic Domain
- 2011
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Recent evidence suggests that individual variation in risk taking is partly due to genetic factors. Methodology/Principal Findings: We explore how self-reported risk taking in different domains correlates with variation in the dopamine receptor D4 gene (DRD4). Past studies conflict on the influence of DRD4 in relation to risk taking. A sample of 237 serious tournament contract bridge players, experts on risk taking in one domain, was genotyped for having a 7-repeat allele (7R+) or not (7R-) at DRD4. No difference was found between 7R+ and 7R- individuals in general risk taking or in several other risk-related activities. Conclusion: In this sample of individuals (tournament bridge players) there is no relationship between DRD4 genotype and self-reported risk taking in different domains.
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