Data Talks

People's environments are partially heritable – that is, differences between people in their environments are correlated with differences between them in their genes. The figure shows the three main processes that create gene-environment correlations. https://t.co/wU7V1pp4kS pic.twitter.com/CcVZuI5tSZ

— Steve Stewart-Williams (@SteveStuWill) December 5, 2020

I have wondered about this for some time.  For a couple of decades we have demonstrated that genes are primary influencers followed by non-shared environments.  Shared environments just don't show as having much effect, leading to the characterization that "parents don't matter."  I accept the evidence but have wrestled with that third interpretation.

My rationalization has been that shared environments (and parents) do matter but indirectly.  Effectively, parents choose/help create the non-shared environment which is known to have an impact.  

This is only a proposed study but it gets at something similar.