The emerging science of socio-genomics looks at how an individual's genes influence the health of those around them New research shows strong links between a peer's genes and their high school friends' long-term odds for substance abuse and other mental health woes Efforts to lower rates of mental health issues may need to target networks of people, not just individuals WEDNESDAY, Aug. 7, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Remember your besties from high school? Sure, they made a lasting impression, but science suggests they influenced the trajectory of your health, too. It's not that far-fetched: Your friends carry genes that may or may nor predispose them to mental health issues ranging from addiction to anxiety and .
That can influence the mental health of the people in their friend circle, according to researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey. “Peers’ genetic predispositions for psychiatric and substance use disorders are associated with an individual's own risk of developing the same disorders in young adulthood,” said study lead author . “What our data exemplifies is the long reach of social genetic effects,” she said in a Rutgers news release.
Salvatore is an associate professor of psychiatry at the university. It's a relatively new field of research called socio-genomics: How one person's genetic makeup ("genotype") can influence a wider network of people. Just how powerful is the socio-genomic effect? To find out, Salvatore's group looked at Swedish data on ov.