Susceptibility to depression: Are you a dandelion or an orchid?

Shelley Taylor, a psychologist at UCLA, studied whether people with mutations in the 5-HTTLPR gene are more likely to suffer from depression.

5-HTTLPR gene is related to the regulation of serotonin (a neurotransmitter related to emotion) in the brain. It has three alleles, one of which is prone to depression, but the other can fight depression.

In this study, those young people who carry high-risk alleles of depression and have been under great pressure in recent six months do have more depressive symptoms. However, those with the least depressive symptoms also carry the same allele, but they are less stressed in their recent lives.

These studies gave birth to a brand-new theory of human development-the theory of biological sensitivity and differential susceptibility to the environment.

This theory points out that some people are like dandelions, while others are like orchids.

Dandelion is adaptable at best and "cheap" at worst. Low environmental requirements, easy to raise, cracks on sidewalks or fertile soil are not a problem. Dandelion-type children are not sensitive to parenting conditions, do not make big mistakes, and rarely make amazing achievements.

Bruce Ellis, a developmental psychologist at the University of Arizona, and W. Thomas Boyce, a developmental psychologist at the University of British Columbia, pointed out that there is a saying of "dandelion children" in Swedish culture. These dandelion children are what we call "normal", "tenacious" and tolerant and extensive management.

However, some children are like orchids. At best, it is expensive, at worst, it is "melodramatic". They can only develop normally in a specific environment and have strict requirements on the environment. In an inappropriate environment, these children's evil deeds will be exposed and even intensified. But once you get the right environment, the flowers of orchids are enough to eclipse dandelions.

In other words, orchid children show strong plasticity and elasticity, but lack adaptability and toughness to the environment. Dandelion-type children have stronger adaptability and toughness to environmental pressure, but lack elasticity and plasticity.

Belsky believes that you can't force an orchid child to show toughness, because plasticity and toughness are opposite, and it is the nature of an orchid child to amplify the influence of the environment. All you have to do is give them the right external conditions.

A study on Romanian orphans published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry provided support. This study found that 5-HTTLPR mutant orphans with high risk of depression changed the most and benefited the most when they entered high-quality adoption institutions.

The theory of "dandelion-orchid" explains the problem that the mainstream theory of mental illness can't explain in the past-since mental illness such as depression is so harmful to oneself, family and society, why hasn't it been eliminated in the long evolution process?

Because of gene mutation related to mental illness, it may bloom in fertile soil. As belsky and biochemist Michael Price of Queen Mary University in London said, the world is unpredictable and the future is unknown. From the evolutionary point of view, the combination of different gene mutations is like buying a stock portfolio. Diversified investment can reduce risks and improve expected returns.

Dandelion is like a stable blue chip, which can bring stability to a species; Orchids, a growing stock, are developing rapidly but with great risks, which can bring unexpected returns under appropriate conditions. In difficult times, the continuation of species needs dandelion type with strong toughness but weak elasticity; But in the period of major changes (such as war, immigration, scientific and technological innovation), orchids are needed to promote progress.

Some studies have found that human "orchid-type" gene mutation actually appeared in the last 50 thousand years.

Nearly 50,000 years is also the era of the rise of Homo sapiens. Therefore, Gregory Cochran and Henry Harpending, evolutionary anthropologists at the University of Utah, pointed out in their book "1 10,000 Big Bang" that the emergence of orchid-type gene mutation may not be accidental, but it is of great significance to Homo sapiens. "Nearly 50,000 years has been 50,000 years of ADHD gene mutation transmission."

Although the hypothesis of differential magnetic susceptibility is young and the foundation of empirical research is not solid, some scholars have expressed great interest in it.

W Thomas Boyce, a professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at Baylor Medical College in the United States, has been engaged in research related to children's development for many years. He pointed out that the orchid gene hypothesis "profoundly reshaped our view of human psychosis. Putting some children with high-risk mutations in the right environment will not only make them better, but also become the best. " Karen Lyons-Ruth, a developmental psychologist at Harvard Medical School, said, "It's time to seriously consider this theory."

Angels and demons may be two sides of the same coin, because the environment is different.

Author | Atlantic, etc.

Translation | Seven Kings