Nature, Nurture and Moral Behavior

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Almost routinely these days, there are reports citing new evidence linking biology to distinct behaviors.

Take gluttony, one of Prudentius' seven deadly sins. Researchers now estimate obesity may be 50 percent to 70 percent heritable. Variations in genes and their functionality appear to predispose some people to becoming overweight more easily. Genes can directly cause obesity in certain disorders like Bardet-Biedl syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome.

Or wrath, another of the deadly sins. Earlier this year, University of Pittsburgh researchers reported that behaviors like anger, hostility and aggression appear rooted in variations in a serotonin receptor gene. Serotonin is a brain chemical that regulates mood, appetite and sensory perception.

Or sloth. Scientists at the National Institute of Mental Health have found that when they suppress a gene involved in reward-learning, test monkeys become workaholics, laboring tirelessly without payoff.