Can your genetic make up affect how you feel about external stimulus, even if you have no idea what your genetic make up is?

Well, just like certain species of animals our tolerance for certain temperatures and conditions can be genetic. Animals that evolve in colder climates are less heat tolerant and vice versa.
A desert Tortoise is not going to thrive in Alaska. haha
However, after years of adaptation one acclimates to their environment.

Musical preferences and other such aesthetic preferences are probably more personality based and there is no accounting for individual taste, pretty random and off the cuff for most of us.
Why was I attracted to owning geese years ago? Did I come from an ancient line of goose herders in Europe hundreds of years ago? lol

Well, it’s been many hundreds and thousands of years since humans developed the means to live virtually anywhere in the world, and to control their own temperature and environment. If we had never developed that ability then life would insist that we live in warm, temperate climates….like Africa. I imagine that might be ingrained in our genetic makeup, but we can ignore it if we want.

A tortoise might not be able to survive in Alaska, but neither could we without out clothes and a source of heat.

Yes, your genetic make up affects those types of things. But so does the setting and nurturing from in-utero through adolescence. And, also your gut biome can also influence many things, and also your body’s adaptation to enviromental stimuli even in late age.

The DNA governs how one’s nerve endings fire and react to stimuli. Neural pathways developed in response to stimuli or lack of stimuli both before and after birth affect how the brain processes such things. One child may find a noisy home disturbing, another finds it comforting.

Research is finding the gut biome has a lot of reaction in how the body processes emotional responses. And there are many studies showing that people who live in a place with col winters feel comfortable at 40 degrees in a t shirt and shorts, ,while someone from Hawaii puts on a sweater at 55.

It is all complicated and interdependent and means there is no simple answer to point to one factor as a reason for something. It is part of the wonder of creation.

Think of it this way, your genetic makeup is a system of statistical equations. Your experiences are a signal being fed through that system. You are the output, that is why neither can completely predict how someone will react to things. Your genetic makeup is reconfigurable as well, experience can turn genes on and off. It’s a chaotic system.

Wild and feral children often demonstrate resilience against extreme cold temperatures. I don’t know if that’s helpful to your question or not. Hope it is.

@Dutchess_III True, but given our skin color, that is one genetic trait that hasn’t changed as humans migrated around the globe into different geographic zones.
Whether we are a european living in Africa or an African american living in Alaska our ability to
acclimate still has some bearing on our genetic origins. I do not do well in extreme heat and have a sunburn exposure time of about 10 minutes. haha

@Coloma Skin color is an evolutionary adaptation to geography. Very fair skin is better at Vitamin D absorption from low light levels (as in far North and South latitudes) while darker skins are better suited to avoiding damage from ultraviolet exposure in middle latitude climates.

@zenvelo Yes, I know, just saying that inspite of the thousands of years now that humans have migrated around the earth we are still sporting our original skin colors developed for all the reasons you mention. Why have we not started becoming lighter or darker if we have lived in certain opposite climates from our race origins?

Skin color did change, @Coloma. We all originated in Africa. All of our ancestors had dark African skin, best suited to that latitude. Virtually every one has some trace of African DNA.
People started migrating out about two million years ago, and as we migrated around the earth many of us became LOTS lighter the further away we got from our race origins, for the reasons @zenvelo gave.

The skin color is an adaptation, but all by itself it certainly wouldn’t protect us from the elements most of the earth outside of Africa throws at us.

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies Wild and feral children hold a special fascination for me.

@Dutchess_III True, I get it, I’m just saying that now, after more thousands of years, it seems we would be morphing again, maybe we are, subtlety.

Well, we are. We mixing it up more than at any other time in history, and at a much faster rate. I wish I could be around to see what the next few thousand years could bring!
But the skin color is changing due to the partners we choose, not because of our climates.

@Coloma Skin color has not continued to evolve as we have become adaptable to being in buildings and other ways to mitigate our environment. And, we are not bound to a single location for multiple generations as we used to be.

It’s a mix of genetics and environment, but genetics plays a larger role than most people would like.

Weird thing is that we are learning that our genetics plays a much stronger role in our lives that what we always thought. My little family knows it has genetic mutations that affect their behaviour, to such an extent that some take medication and qualify for special government programmes. (ASD) We try to throw this in the same arena as just having preferences for different things, like some people like spicy food, S. just happens to not eat anything red. Some people enjoy reggae music, O has to touch every chair back of the row as we get to our seats at the movies. S has words and ideas that can’t be discussed around him or he becomes visibly shaken. (if you ever meet him, do not mention anything about zombies and don’t use curse words.) My two boys (one a step son) have real genetics they have inherited that undoubtedly creates their likes and dislikes and vision of the world. If they want to change their predilections, their best hope is self-awareness. I’ve tried with S, but I don’t think I was with him early enough in his life. For O, he has a better chance. With medication and therapy, I’ve managed to keep him in his class at school and he is even thriving academically. Just three years ago, they were ready to set him out and just give him ‘lifestyle courses’ which is where S ended up. Now, he is top of his class in many subjects and above average in the rest. Early diagnosis, self awareness. If my kid with autism can do it, anyone can.

My sensitivity to sound and my anxiety are side effects of something that is genetic, but it’s second-order rather than direct causation.