Unpopular or bad at networking? Blame bad genes, study says

Usually, inherited traits refer to eye color and blood type. However, new studies show that genetics can influence popularity as well.

In a recent study, Harvard University sociology professor Nicholas Christakis found that a person's position in a social network is a result partially of his or her genetic background.

Christakis said the study is especially applicable to college students because it suggests they can benefit from the social networks they form at college.

A person's future successes depend on the connections he or she makes in college, he added, and Ivy League institutions like Penn take pride in their large alumni networks.

These connections can help students further their employment possibilities and are now found to be dependent on genetics to a certain degree - because popular people are more likely to be in the center of large social networks, according to the study.

As a result, genetics can affect someone's success by way of the job networks created and the specific place held in the network.

Additionally, the more clustered a person's social network, the more informed he or she is likely to be, Christakis said.

And not only is the number of friends you have dependent on your genes but also whether your friends are friends with each other, the study found.

"For instance, if Tom is friends with Dick and Harry, whether or not Dick and Harry are friends depends to some degree on Tom's genes," Christakis said.

Sociology professor Doug Ewbank said he found Christakis's study "interesting and innovative."

The study, which combines studies of twins and simple mathematical models to explain social networks, makes certain assumptions about social connections, he explained.

However, Ewbank said the study must be viewed as "exploratory."

"With this type of research the conclusions must be considered very preliminary until the same approach is used in different populations," he said.

In addition, Ewbank said, it would be important to test whether the same results hold true for different groups, such as senior citizens or residents of small towns, since the research was based on a national sample of students.

College freshman Sienna Barbeau, a sociology major, said she found the results of the study "a bit farfetched."

"Popularity is more of a personality trait," she said. "A person's personality is determined more by the circumstances he or she faces than genetics."

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