Nature vs. Nurture: The Impact of Environment and Genes on Mental Health
The debate between nature and nurture has been going on since the 1800s. It is the age-old question of whether our environment or our genes have a greater impact on our mental health. We all know that both are important, but which factor has a more significant influence? Dr. Gabor Maté, a renowned psychotherapist, an expert in neurobiology, and author of several books, incl. “In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts” and “When the Body Says No,” believes there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. He has researched extensively on the subject, and his findings suggest that environment has a larger influence than genetics when it comes to mental health.
What is Nature vs. Nurture?
Nature vs. Nurture is a debate about how much of our behaviour and personality are influenced by our genes (nature) and how much of it is shaped by our environment (nurture). Our genes provide us with certain traits like eye colour, height, intelligence level, etc., while our environment provides us with experiences such as family relationships, education opportunities, socio-economic status, etc. Those who support the "nature" side of the argument argue that genetic makeup is the main determinant for behaviour; those who support the "nurture" side of the argument suggest that environmental factors are more important than genetics when it comes to this.
Dr. Gabor Maté’s Research
Dr. Maté has done extensive research into the nature vs. nurture debate and he believes that environment plays a larger role in determining mental health than genetics does. He explains that when we look at individuals who have similar genetic makeups but different environments, the differences in their mental health can be starkly apparent due to their varied life experiences. For example, two siblings with similar genetic makeup will have different levels of psychological wellbeing as they experienced different life events and grew up in different environments, as each child experienced a different version of their parent. Thus he concludes that although genetics do play a role in mental health, environment plays an even bigger role in influencing it significantly over time—especially during early childhood development stages when people are most vulnerable to outside influences and experiences –more so than genetics—which can shape one’s entire life trajectory later on down the road.
Dr Maté also argues that while genes may predispose someone towards certain conditions like depression or anxiety disorders for example—environmental factors still play an equally if not more important role in determining whether someone actually develops any symptoms associated with these conditions or not because environmental stressors such as poverty or trauma can exacerbate existing genetic predispositions towards certain medical conditions significantly increasing one’s chances of developing them later on down the road if said environmental stressors remain unsolved for prolonged periods of time. That being said, proper (emotional) support from family, friends, mentors etc. can help mitigate even serious genetic predispositions towards certain medical conditions thus decreasing their likelihood of actually manifesting themselves physically later on down the road.
Mental health is complex; it cannot be explained by one factor alone; rather it must be looked at holistically to understand its full impact on an individual's life trajectory and overall wellbeing. According to Dr Gabor Mate, while genetic predisposition certainly plays an important role in determining one’s chances of developing certain medical conditions later on down the road —environmental factors still remain ultimately more influential over time due to their ability to either exacerbate existing predispositions towards certain medical conditions or help mitigate them altogether depending on one’s individual context. Therefore it is important for us not only to understand our own personal risk factors for certain medical conditions but also seek out proper support from family members, friends, mentors etc. whenever possible so as to ensure optimal psychological wellbeing. Understanding how nature and nurture affect each other can help us make better decisions about how best to care for ourselves mentally and emotionally.