{"id":19301,"date":"2021-12-13T10:23:23","date_gmt":"2021-12-13T18:23:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/?p=19301"},"modified":"2020-12-13T06:34:00","modified_gmt":"2020-12-13T06:34:00","slug":"disagreeable-lazy-and-an-addict-what-genetic-tests-can-tell-an-employer-or-a-partner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/disagreeable-lazy-and-an-addict-what-genetic-tests-can-tell-an-employer-or-a-partner\/","title":{"rendered":"Disagreeable, Lazy, and an Addict – What Genetic Tests Can Tell an Employer or a Partner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Warning: This post contains uncomfortable levels of personal information<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

My name is David Rutland. I\u2019m the managing editor of PIA\u2019s blog, and I suppose this is as good an introduction as any. Better in fact \u2013 you\u2019re going to learn more about me than, up until last week, I even knew myself.<\/p>\n

Shocker, right? This is PIA, and we\u2019re all<\/em> about privacy. I, too, am all about privacy.<\/p>\n

Settle in. It\u2019s story time.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re probably aware that we\u2019re approaching the fifth wave of a global pandemic, and I think it\u2019s fair to say that we\u2019re all sick of it by this point. I was infected in the first wave, and the experience was horrible, a fortnight of fever, aches, pain, and hallucination.<\/p>\n

But I got better. Sort of. Months afterwards, I was unpleasantly surprised to discover that a wide range of food had lost its taste. The delicious and distinctive flavors of lamb, toast, and coffee were replaced by the same uniform acrid note. I couldn\u2019t walk far, and I had to stop running altogether. My eyesight deteriorated, making it difficult to work on my 8.9 inch laptop. I had Long COVID<\/a>,<\/em> and I was living a miserable existence.<\/p>\n

Then one day in September 2021, I woke up and I was miraculously better (although I still can\u2019t drink coffee and my eyesight still sucks). That part of this story is now over.<\/p>\n

Around the end of this period, I read about a study being carried out by COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative<\/a> in conjunction with Sano Genetics<\/a> \u2013 the idea was to investigate if and how genetics impact Long COVID symptoms and recovery.<\/p>\n

This was not one of those spurious \u2018find out that you\u2019re 1\/16th Native American and 1\/4 Irish\u2019<\/em> studies. It\u2019s a legitimate research project with strong privacy protections and something approaching total data control.<\/p>\n

After scouring the privacy policies to reassure myself, I assessed the risks, and determined that the study was worth taking part in. I spat in a jar, popped it into the postbox, and thought no more of it.<\/p>\n

Why Am I Like This?<\/h2>\n

Sano Genetics is a proper research lab, carrying out legitimate genetic research into behavior and health conditions.<\/p>\n

As a reward, for my participation in the study, they offered me a basic rundown of known genetic characteristics. Sure<\/em>, I thought. Why not?<\/em><\/p>\n

Objectively, based solely on my DNA profile, I am a terrible human being. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn\u2019t employ me, I wouldn\u2019t rent a house or car to me, and I sure as hell wouldn\u2019t want me as the father of my kids.<\/p>\n

I Am an Addict<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As you\u2019re probably aware, smoking is an indisputably bad thing. Evidence has been mounting up since the 1960s<\/a> that smokers have a hugely increased risk of cancer, heart disease, and COPD, the list goes on, and in total, there are more than 50 serious health conditions<\/a> related to smoking.<\/p>\n

And yet people do it. Every year, new smokers buy a pack for the first time and embark on a long road that will almost inevitably lead to ill health and premature death.<\/p>\n

Sure. Smoking is pleasurable, and yes, it does make you significantly cooler<\/a> than the average non-smoker. But that doesn\u2019t explain why people continue to smoke once the cool factor is gone; when their clothes stink and the sheer cost of cigarettes outweighs any potential enjoyment benefit.<\/p>\n

It turns out there\u2019s a genetic basis for nicotine addiction, and yes. I have it.<\/p>\n

The test was correct. I am horrendously addicted to nicotine, and I have been since I was 15. Although I have not touched a cigarette in five years, I vape. A lot.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Alcohol is a scourge of society and excessive alcohol use is responsible for more than 95,000 deaths in the United States each year<\/a>. It should come as no surprise that there is a genetic basis for alcohol misuse.<\/p>\n

A person with two \u201cA\u201d markers is significantly less likely to drink than a person with an \u201cA\u201d and a \u201cG\u201d. My \u201cGG\u201d profile means that I am likely to drink heavily.<\/p>\n

What This Tells Potential Employers and Partners<\/h3>\n

Given a pool of candidates, who in their right mind would hire the one who has a heavy genetic tendency towards addictive behaviors?<\/p>\n

Smokers stink out the office. They\u2019re always nipping out for cigarette breaks, and they can go off sick with a wide range of smoking-related illnesses. And if the company provides health insurance, your premium will go up.<\/p>\n

If you saw this information on a dating profile, it would be quite reasonable for you to swipe left, regardless of how otherwise handsome, charming, and effortlessly cool you found me.<\/p>\n

As a nicotine fiend, there\u2019s a decent chance that I am less wealthy than I should be, and no one wants to set up a home with someone who may drink to excess.<\/p>\n

Then consider that any children would share part of my DNA, and they would have a reasonable chance of inheriting my addictive tendencies.<\/p>\n

Do you\u00a0want<\/em> problem teenagers? Because that\u2019s how you get problem teenagers!<\/p>\n

I Am Lazy, Awkward, and Difficult To Motivate<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Conscientiousness is a personality trait associated with diligence and a desire to do a task well. According to the Sano report, \u201cthis trait reflects the tendency to be responsible, organized, hard working, and goal focused.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are three genetic sites associated with this trait, and at each of those sites, there are two alleles that can make up the gene. As you can see, I do not have a single copy anywhere.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

If someone is agreeable, they\u2019re usually easy to get along with. The opposite is argumentative and unpleasant. I am, at best, only one quarter as agreeable as I could be.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This one is open to interpretation depending on what it is you\u2019re looking for. It means that I\u2019m cool under pressure, but it could also to be taken to mean that I\u2019m difficult to motivate.<\/p>\n

How can you get someone to do something that they don\u2019t want to do? You apply stress and pressure and deadlines.<\/p>\n

Sorry, that\u2019s not going to work.<\/p>\n

What This Tells Potential Employers and Partners<\/h3>\n

Zero tendency towards conscientiousness? Really? How on earth did I manage to make it through the education system and gain proper employment? I am definitely not making it onto the candidate shortlist for any job I ever apply for ever again.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m afraid that once again, it would be a swipe left for any potential mates. No one wants to live with someone who argues all the time and doesn\u2019t care enough to clean up after themselves and cook dinner.<\/p>\n

Once more, think of the children!<\/p>\n

On the other hand, if you can ignore all of my other faults, you\u2019ll find I am a no-drama llama.<\/p>\n

What Else Can You Learn From My Genetic Test?<\/h2>\n

Altogether, the Sano report covers a few dozen different areas \u2013 I would count them, but I am not conscientious enough to do so.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re deeply, deeply personal, and while I can certainly see the effects of genetic expression in some aspects of my personality and physical appearance, others seem way off the mark. Nonetheless, the genes exist, and the report is there to read.<\/p>\n

Highlights include:<\/p>\n