The Urge To Travel Is In Your Genes

My daughter Dacotah loves to travel. She worked for a year as a flight attendant for Alaska Air and the bug she had to see the world got a whole lot bigger. I’m not all that adventurous myself so as I was wondering about her wanderlust and looking over some of her face book photos from India , Spain and Italy, I came across a possible explanation.

According to an article in the UK Daily Mail, the urge to explore the world may actually be determined by your genes.

Not to get all “science –ee” on you but Indiana University biologists say that some people have a gene that generates and excess of dopamine . That’s the DRD4-7R gene, which is known to influence people to take risks, explore new places, ideas, foods, relationships, drugs or sexual opportunities. (Dad was not too thrilled to read about that last part...must be a recessive gene for me!)

This gene is only possessed by around 20 percent of the population and they have a tendency to make impulsive decisions, usually connected to gambling and addiction issues.

Going way back, scientists say the presence of the gene may have helped motivate prehistoric man to step out of the cave, venture from home, explore, and seek new territories for mates, food, and shelter. The genetic connection could also explain why some people find traveling exciting, while others find it terrifying. (Daily Mail)