While our genes don’t completely control our behaviors, they do have the power to influence us. In the video “Sweaty T-shirts and Human Mate Choice,” women are pre-disposed towards choosing men who have different immune systems to them. The women were not even thinking of their offspring, let alone the immune benefits they would gain as a result of their choice. This goes to show that our choices are heavily influenced by subconscious thoughts that are not under our control. But I bet the experiment would have turned out differently if the women met the men individually and considered traits other than attractiveness. Would the underlying genetic drive to choose the mate with the best immune system prevail? Or would they choose the man based on factors that are more characteristic of free will such as whether he is a good provider or thinks in a similar fashion? The outcome would be important to consider because real life isn’t as controlled as an experiment. People’s choices are not merely a product of their genes.
The article “How Older Brothers Influence Homosexuality,” describes how a mother’s immune response against male-specific proteins on the male fetus could be a potential cause of homosexuality. However, if this was the sole cause of homosexuality, then every guy who has lots of older brothers would automatically be gay. I think many parts of personality including sexual orientation are not because of a single gene or molecular phenomenon. Instead, I believe that there are multiple, intertwining biological causes that explain why we are pre-disposed to some things and not others.
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