Mean is in the cradle.
Many scientists believe the tendency toward antisocial behaviour is present in a small but constant current in the human gene pool, and that in its plodding, abstruse way, evolution has found a place in our DNA for jerkish behaviour.
In other words, the mere meeting of sperm and egg can spawn a malicious life.
What’s more, these genetically generated mean streaks are not only fixed in the molecular blueprints but can be present in several varieties.
“You’ve got to think it has an evolutionary basis and that it paid off in reproductive success at some point,” says University of British Columbia psychologist Del Paulhus. “Some individuals had more opportunities for reproduction because they were aggressive and cruel.”
Read the full, original story here: Meanness, alas, is in our genes
