What Twins Separated At Birth Teach Us About Human Genetics - Nancy Segal

Nancy Segal is a professor at California State University, an author and one of the most prominent twin-study researchers on the planet. What makes you the person you are? Is it your genetics or your environment? When twins are either accidentally or purposefully separated at birth, it presents a fascinating view into this debate, shedding light on the influence of both traits and environments on the outcomes we get in life. Expect to learn the craziest similarities between twins who have been raised apart, how it's possible to have a pair of twins born at the same time to two different fathers, what happens when twins meet for the first time, what you can learn from triplets that you can’t learn from twins, just how big of an impact genes and environment are on the traits we see in people, how important of a role chance plays in our lives and much more... Sponsors: Get the Whoop 4.0 for free and get your first month for free at http://join.whoop.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Get a Free Sample Pack of all LMNT Flavours with your first box at https://www.drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom (automatically applied at checkout) Get 5 Free Travel Packs, Free Liquid Vitamin D and more from AG1 at https://drinkag1.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Extra Stuff: Get my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom #twins #genetics #behaviour - 00:00 How Evolutionary Psychology Explains Twins 04:51 Unique Connections Between Identical Twins 08:22 The Rare Occurrence of ‘Half Twins’ 16:22 How Do Twins Know They’re Twins? 21:02 When Separated Twins Are Both Gay 25:00 Craziest Similarities Between Separated Twins 35:19 Do Twins Also Share Illnesses? 43:25 The Ethics of Separating Twins at Birth 48:31 Why Do So Many People Have an Issue with Behavioural Genetics? 52:57 How Much Can Rearing Change a Child? 1:04:14 The Family Dynamic of Bi-Racial Twins 1:07:03 Common Criticisms of Twin Studies 1:11:34 ‘Tell Me Who I Am’ on Netflix 1:14:10 Where to Find Nancy - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

Chris WilliamsonhostNancy Segalguest

Aug 14, 20231h 16mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: August 14, 2023
Duration: 1h 16m
Channel: Modern Wisdom
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Nancy Segal is a professor at California State University, an author and one of the most prominent twin-study researchers on the planet. What makes you the person you are? Is it your genetics or your environment? When twins are either accidentally or purposefully separated at birth, it presents a fascinating view into this debate, shedding light on the influence of both traits and environments on the outcomes we get in life. Expect to learn the craziest similarities between twins who have been raised apart, how it's possible to have a pair of twins born at the same time to two different fathers, what happens when twins meet for the first time, what you can learn from triplets that you can’t learn from twins, just how big of an impact genes and environment are on the traits we see in people, how important of a role chance plays in our lives and much more... Sponsors: Get the Whoop 4.0 for free and get your first month for free at http://join.whoop.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Get a Free Sample Pack of all LMNT Flavours with your first box at https://www.drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom (automatically applied at checkout) Get 5 Free Travel Packs, Free Liquid Vitamin D and more from AG1 at https://drinkag1.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Extra Stuff: Get my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom #twins #genetics #behaviour - 00:00 How Evolutionary Psychology Explains Twins 04:51 Unique Connections Between Identical Twins 08:22 The Rare Occurrence of ‘Half Twins’ 16:22 How Do Twins Know They’re Twins? 21:02 When Separated Twins Are Both Gay 25:00 Craziest Similarities Between Separated Twins 35:19 Do Twins Also Share Illnesses? 43:25 The Ethics of Separating Twins at Birth 48:31 Why Do So Many People Have an Issue with Behavioural Genetics? 52:57 How Much Can Rearing Change a Child? 1:04:14 The Family Dynamic of Bi-Racial Twins 1:07:03 Common Criticisms of Twin Studies 1:11:34 ‘Tell Me Who I Am’ on Netflix 1:14:10 Where to Find Nancy - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

SPEAKERS

Chris Williamson
host
Nancy Segal
guest
Narrator
other

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Chris Williamson and Nancy Segal, What Twins Separated At Birth Teach Us About Human Genetics - Nancy Segal explores separated twins reveal genetics’ power over personality, bonds, and destiny Nancy Segal, a developmental psychologist and twin researcher, explains how twin studies illuminate the interplay of genetics, environment, and evolution in shaping human behavior. She describes why identical twins tend to be more cooperative, emotionally bonded, and behaviorally similar than fraternals, even when raised apart, and how this supports kin selection and behavioral genetics findings. Segal shares striking case studies—from Holocaust-surviving twins and politically opposite reared-apart twins to the Jim twins and accidental incest—showing deep genetic influences alongside environmental variation. She also discusses ethical issues around deliberately separating twins, the impact of genetic understanding on parenting, and a landmark citizenship case involving gay fathers and twin sons conceived via assisted reproduction.

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