Scientists Bet There's a Gambling Gene

Genetics might be behind your betting habits, researchers have found. People with a “short” type of a certain gene were more likely to take risks than those with the “long” type, the Daily Telegraph reports. In a study, 30 volunteers were, for example, given cash and allowed to decide between keeping a small amount or shooting to keep it all—with a 60% chance of losing it.

The genetic effect was even stronger when a gamble was “framed” to make it sound more appealing. “We know that people from across a variety of cultures are susceptible to biases when making decisions, and that even with training these biases are hard to overcome,” said a researcher. “This implies that hard-wired genetic influences might play an important role in determining how susceptible different individuals are to the framing effect.” (More genetic research stories.)