Behavioral traits probably have even more intricate genetic underpinnings. As the authors of a recent study of the genetics of educational attainment warned, we need to beware the oversimplified genetic just-so stories claiming that we are the way we are because of the "gene for X." They concluded that "the genetic architecture of complex behavioral traits is far more diffuse than that of complex physical traits." Another recent study looking for genetic differences in a wide range of traits, from political orientation and gambling frequency to neuroticism, reported a similar conclusion, that generally "genes are connected to behavioral variation by lengthy, nonlinear, interactive causal chains."
