A new study from the University of British Columbia has found that more than half of people are genetically predisposed to spot danger wherever it lurks.

“We already knew that people who have this genetic variant are more inclined to have strong emotional memories,” said researcher Rebecca Todd, a professor with UBC’s department of psychology. “It turns out they experience the world much more intensely than other people.”

People with the “ADRA2b deletion variant” are also more likely to experience emotionally charged intrusive thoughts associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after a traumatic event, she said.

Todd said this is the first study to find that this genetic variation can significantly affect how people see and experience the world.

“The findings suggest people experience emotional aspects of the world partly through gene-coloured glasses — and that biological variations at the genetic level can play a significant role in individual differences in perception,” she said.

A predisposition to see the negative in the environment may proffer an evolutionary advantage to those who carry it, keeping them from harm’s way.

“These individuals may be more likely to pick out angry faces in a crowd of people,” said Todd. “Outdoors, they might notice potential hazards — places you could slip, loose rocks that might fall — instead of seeing the natural beauty.”

The study, “Genes for emotion-enhanced remembering linked to enhanced perceiving”, published in Psychological Science, was co-authored by Adam Anderson at Cornell University. DNA samples and genotyping were supplied by Daniel Mueller with Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

rshore@vancouversun.com

with file from Tiffany Crawford