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Cultural evolution: The third component of mental illness heritability

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 September 2022

Davide Amato Open the ORCID record for Davide Amato [Opens in a new window]
Davide Amato*
Affiliation:
Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA amatod@musc.edu Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
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Abstract

Uchiyama et al. provide a theoretical framework to explain the gap between reported gene–environment interactions and real-life epidemiological statistics. Through cultural evolution, informed behavioral approaches mitigate the impact of environmental risk on disease onset. Similarly, here we propose that fostering certain behavioral traits, transmitted culturally or through access to scientific knowledge, could confer resilience to mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.

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Open Peer Commentary
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Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 45 , 2022 , e154
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Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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