More than ever, a child’s academic future depends on standardized testing scores. The pressure to perform well can be intense, even for elementary school students. But why is it that some kids cave under those pressures, while others seem to thrive on it? New York Times reporters Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman write that genetics may have a role to play.
“Like any kind of human behavior, our response to competitive pressure is derived from a complex set of factors — how we were raised, our skills and experience, the hormones that we marinated in as fetuses. There is also a genetic component: One particular gene, referred to as the COMT gene, could to a large degree explain why one child is more prone to be a worrier, while another may be unflappable, or in the memorable phrasing of David Goldman, a geneticist at the National Institutes of Health, more of a warrior.”
Read the full article here: Why Can Some Kids Handle Pressure While Others Fall Apart?
