If you saw an elderly lady struggling across the road with a shopping cart, would you offer to help her? Most of us would, but new research suggests that a gene related to anxiety disorders may impair a person's willingness to help others.
Researchers from the University of Missouri and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln discovered that people with the genotype 5-HTTLPR - linked to higher social anxiety - were less likely to engage in prosocial behavior, compared with those missing this genotype.
"Prosocial behavior is linked closely to strong social skills and is considered a marker of individuals' health and well-being," says Gustavo Carlo, Millsap professor of diversity at the College of Human Environmental Sciences at the University of Missouri.
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