Chapter 11 - Personality
Ridley begins the chapter talking about a protein called the dopamine receptor. He mentions that dopamine is a neurotransmitter which causes their own neuron to discharge an electrical signal from it's own. D4DR gene identifies neurons as members of the brain's dopamine-mediated pathways. Dopamine is considered a motivational chemical for the brain. It is also said that people with more D4DR genes don't have the adventurous approach to things like people with shorter D4DR genes. Hamer mentions that serotonin is considered the punishment chemical for the brain which causes anxiety & depression. Personality is the thing that varies people to the way they respond to social stimuli mediated through neurotransmitters.
Citation:
Ridley, Matt. Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters. New York: HarperCollins, 1999. Print.
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