[lulubel]

Interesting study that explains why some people are more successful than others. It appears that some people are just hard wired to succeed and some hard wired to fail.

Other studies show some people are more aggressive than others, some more intelligent, some with more empathy........basically, science is finally doing away with the false idea that personality and behaviour is the sole product of environment.

These sort of studies have big implications for the way the state currently deals with individual failure, fecklessness and criminality -- society is not to blame for failure. People are.

Throwing money at these people and the problems they cause society is ultimately useless.


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Lazy people who prefer to live off others may have brains that are wired for under-achievement, a study suggests.

Scientists have identified neural pathways that appear to influence an individual's willingness to work hard to earn money.
Scans showed differences between ''go-getters'' and ''slackers'' in three specific areas of the brain.
People prepared to work hard for rewards had more of the nerve signalling chemical dopamine in two brain regions called the striatum and ventromedial prefrontal cortex.
Both are known to play an important role in behaviour-changing reward sensations and motivation.
But ''slackers'', who were less willing to work hard for reward, had higher dopamine levels in the anterior insula. This is a brain region involved in emotion and risk perception.

Continued:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/s...r-achieve.html

[S-man10]

Who isn't to say that the individuals become hard wired in the first place as a result on their environment

I'll be inclined to see otherwise. Being hard-wired to be a slacker fails to understand how far an individuals intention can push him. A lot of people will be slackers, but that isn't to say I'll forever be one.

[someguy113]

Does this mean Lazy people can claim to be discriminated against as a result of their genes?

[joker12345]

Interesting study, but I think the title is misleading ... this doesn't show any genetic material influencing laziness, just concentrations of chemicals in the brain, which could be influenced by environmental factors/laziness in the first place.

[OMG TOOTHBRUSH]

LOL warned for spamming for saying how obvious the results of the study were, thanks. Should I be shocked that people are born with different genetics to each other, and people who are genetically lazy are less likely to achieve as much as people who are harder working? WOW it's amazing!

[bishbash72]

Not surprising. What I want to know is whether it would be possible to create some kind of treatment that could rewire the neural pathways in order to change these predispositions. Lord knows the money I would pay for drugs that could make me less lazy.

[marsman13]

Interesting article, i guess we will have to wait for some more conclusive evidence.

[Hopple]

The genes for underachievement, if they existed, would have been bred out of the genepool, surely?

[That Bearded Man]

(Original post by Hopple)
The genes for underachievement, if they existed, would have been bred out of the genepool, surely?

Surely alot of males are naturally lazy, thus not affecting their ability to breed?

I mean, look at male lions.

[Pandabär]

(Original post by Hopple)
The genes for underachievement, if they existed, would have been bred out of the genepool, surely?

Nah, whilst others were out making millions and climbing Mount Everest, they were at home having some raunchy bedroom action.

[lukas1051]

I am incredibly incredibly lazy, and I don't think I have ever underachieved in anything I have done. I realise I have not had a lot of life experience, and i may crash and burn, and I realise one case does not provided conclusive evidence, but I don't think you can say that all lazy people will underachieve or that.all underachievers are lazy. Some people have a natural knack for understanding things, learning things, knowing how to deal with situations without putting in a lot of effort. Likewise some people try their very hardest and never achieve because they're doing something fundamentally wrong.

[Martyn*]

Scientists have identified neural pathways that appear to influence an individual's willingness to work hard to earn money.

Or, pathways that appear to influence people's willingness to obey and conform to their corporate masters, and because society dictates that the only thing worthy of achievement in life is money and status.

[Martyn*]

It wouldn't appear to these scientists that people work hard at being lazy as well, not because they underachieve, or want to, but because they see, in many circumstances, the futility of chasing material possessions. because they are told to, and everyone else seems to be doing it.

[martin jol]

groundbreaking stuff, this 'study'

[Joinedup]

When you say it's 'peoples fault' do you mean you'd like to bring in eugenics policy?
Anyway
Hard work, while admirable, doesn't equal success.
Lots of people are born with silver spoons in every orifice, others work their nuts off for minimum wages.

[Hopple]

(Original post by That Bearded Man)
Surely alot of males are naturally lazy, thus not affecting their ability to breed?

I mean, look at male lions.

(Original post by Pandabär)
Nah, whilst others were out making millions and climbing Mount Everest, they were at home having some raunchy bedroom action.

Lazy drives progress. Whoever invented the wheel went "Sod carrying this mammoth's head, let's roll it around instead".

But if someone had no desire at all, due to their genes, they wouldn't get anywhere unless it's only recently that humans have favoured outgoing partners.

[takethyfacehence]

(Original post by lukas1051)
I am incredibly incredibly lazy, and I don't think I have ever underachieved in anything I have done. I realise I have not had a lot of life experience, and i may crash and burn, and I realise one case does not provided conclusive evidence, but I don't think you can say that all lazy people will underachieve or that.all underachievers are lazy. Some people have a natural knack for understanding things, learning things, knowing how to deal with situations without putting in a lot of effort. Likewise some people try their very hardest and never achieve because they're doing something fundamentally wrong.

Can you really be that incredibly lazy if you've gotten up to go not underachieve at anything every day of your life?

[AbuAK]

IMO lazy people will look for the easier way out, whatever that may be.

[ArcaneAnna]

(Original post by lulubel)
.basically, science is finally doing away with the false idea that personality and behaviour is the sole product of environment.

It's been known for a fair while that genetics play a large role in mych of our behaviour, rather than just environment. However, different traits vary to different degrees.

For example, intelligence was a huge 80% (I think 80 +/- a bit either way) inheritable trait...so is depression, empathy and etcetera....

However, other personality/behavioural traits - can't remember any off the top f me head and would need to search out the journals - had a much lower genetic and higher environmental influence.

[Multitalented me]

I find that the people who have more interests are generally more successful. If you're a boring person then obviously it's going to be difficult to motivate yourself to achieve certain things in life. I find it sad that these people are often looked down on as lazy