New research from a major twin project suggests that genes play a larger role in determining education, career, and income than family environment alone. The findings come from tracking participants from age 23 to 27 and highlight the strong genetic link to IQ. Experts say the results challenge assumptions about how much upbringing can override inherited traits.
Researchers followed roughly 880 twins through the German TwinLife project, comparing identical twins who share all genes with fraternal twins who share about half. IQ tests taken at age 23 strongly predicted socioeconomic status four years later, with genetics accounting for an estimated 75 percent of IQ variation and 69 to 98 percent of the IQ-to-status connection.
