Why “nature plus nurture” is sometimes the wrong way to think

People who sit here and then chat with someone might get happier…but whether they sit here in the first place probably also depends on their personality and their baseline mood. Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash.
It's common to try to explain things as either due to nature OR nurture. Or, at best, we say: some percentage of the variation in outcome is due to genes, and some percentage is due to the environment. It's important to remember, though, that outcomes can be a complex interaction between the two. Consider this: Our genetically-influenced traits impact what environments we seek out and find ourselves in. For instance, risk-taking seems to have moderate heritability, and it in...
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Stability vs Acceleration

Photos by David Maltais on Unsplash (left) and Mads Eneqvist on Unsplash (right)
Written: September 30, 2018 | Released: August 13, 2021 I think one of the big choices to be made in life (once basic needs are well met) is whether to try to optimize more for a life of stability or for a life of acceleration. There is a tension between these two types of lives because they imply making different decisions in many realms. From what I can tell, the significant majority of people on this planet (even among those who have their basic needs already well met) seek a life that...
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