Serotonin and Violence
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, continues his comments about serotonin. Dr. Hamer explains that in addition to making people feel depressed, serotonin seems to also trigger hostility i...
Harm Avoidance (Part One)
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, talks about harm avoidance, which he explains is the opposite of novelty seeking. In the words of Dr. Hamer, people who are harm avoidant see the world,...
Addictive Personalities
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, talks about so-called "addictive personalities." He explains that the term itself is probably a misnomer, because there is no single personality configu...
Links Between Addictions
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, discusses the fact that, "...many different addictions tend to go together." He explains that, "...the probable reason is that there are certain persona...
Novelty Seekers: Negative Consequences
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, talks about the potential for negative consequences among those who are genetically inclined to seek thrills. Some of these consequences can include tak...
Novelty Seekers
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, talks about efforts to learn more about the role genetics plays in the personality trait that motivates novelty seeking (sometimes known as sensation se...
Nature vs. Nurture (Part Two)
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, talks about studies that suggest the combination of a genetic predisposition towards violence, coupled with a bad home environment, is a toxic mixture t...
Serotonin
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, talks about the chemical serotonin and the role it plays in the brain. As it turns out, harm avoidance is controlled by serotonin. Unfortunately, this c...
Harm Avoidance (Part Two)
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, expands on his discussion of harm avoidance, which he explains refers to a group of personality traits that includes depression, anxiety, feeling bad ab...
Mental Retardation and Genetics
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, talks about the role genetics plays in many forms of mental retardation. In the case of PKU, a type of retardation that's caused by an enzyme deficiency...