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The social genome of friends and schoolmates in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health

Author

Listed:
  • Benjamin W. Domingue

    (Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305)

  • Daniel W. Belsky

    (Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710; Social Science Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710)

  • Jason M. Fletcher

    (La Follette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706; Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706; Center for Demography and Ecology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706)

  • Dalton Conley

    (Department of Sociology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544)

  • Jason D. Boardman

    (Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309; Sociology Department, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80302)

  • Kathleen Mullan Harris

    (Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599; Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27516)

Abstract

Humans tend to form social relationships with others who resemble them. Whether this sorting of like with like arises from historical patterns of migration, meso-level social structures in modern society, or individual-level selection of similar peers remains unsettled. Recent research has evaluated the possibility that unobserved genotypes may play an important role in the creation of homophilous relationships. We extend this work by using data from 5,500 adolescents from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to examine genetic similarities among pairs of friends. Although there is some evidence that friends have correlated genotypes, both at the whole-genome level as well as at trait-associated loci (via polygenic scores), further analysis suggests that meso-level forces, such as school assignment, are a principal source of genetic similarity between friends. We also observe apparent social–genetic effects in which polygenic scores of an individual’s friends and schoolmates predict the individual’s own educational attainment. In contrast, an individual’s height is unassociated with the height genetics of peers.

Suggested Citation

  • Benjamin W. Domingue & Daniel W. Belsky & Jason M. Fletcher & Dalton Conley & Jason D. Boardman & Kathleen Mullan Harris, 2018. "The social genome of friends and schoolmates in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 115(4), pages 702-707, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:nas:journl:v:115:y:2018:p:702-707
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Brunello, Giorgio & Sanz-de-Galdeano, Anna & Terskaya, Anastasia, 2020. "Not only in my genes: The effects of peers’ genotype on obesity," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    2. John Cawley & Euna Han & Jiyoon Kim & Edward C. Norton, 2019. "Testing for family influences on obesity: The role of genetic nurture," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(7), pages 937-952, July.
    3. Cawley, John & Han, Euna & Kim, Jiyoon & Norton, Edward C., 2023. "Genetic nurture in educational attainment," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    4. Zheng, Boyan & Fletcher, Jason & Zheng, Fengyi & Lu, Qiongshi, 2022. "Gene-by-peer-environment interaction effects on cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use among US high school students of European Ancestry," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 309(C).
    5. Lauren Gaydosh & Daniel W. Belsky & Benjamin W. Domingue & Jason D. Boardman & Kathleen Mullan Harris, 2018. "Father Absence and Accelerated Reproductive Development in Non-Hispanic White Women in the United States," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(4), pages 1245-1267, August.
    6. Das, Aniruddha, 2021. "The relational genomics of cognitive function: A longitudinal study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    7. Ceron, Francisco I. & Bol, Thijs & van de Werfhorst, Herman G., 2022. "The dynamics of achievement inequality: The role of performance and choice in Chile," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).

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