| Submit your comments on this article |
| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Is There a Laziness Gene? |
| 2008-07-31 |
| Very interesting title, but the article is so long. If anyone happens across the answer in the article below please post it in the comments. Thanks in advance. Have you ever wondered why you can't get off the couch and exercise -- despite paying for an expensive gym membership, despite your New Year's resolutions, even despite the doctor's scolding at your last checkup? Turns out that your inertia may be coded right into your genes. Based on some intriguing preliminary studies in animals, J. Timothy Lightfoot, a kinesiologist, and his team at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, suggest that genetics may indeed predispose some of us to sloth. Using mice specially bred and selected according to their activity levels, Lightfoot identified 20 different genomic locations that work in tandem to influence their activity levels -- specifically, how far the animals will run. Lightfoot's team is the first to identify these genetic areas and the first to figure out that they function in concert. The researchers say the areas they found on the mouse genome may have analogs in humans, and the UNC team is now gearing up to conduct a similar study in men and women. "We have put forward a fairly complete genomic map of the areas that are associated with regulation of physical activity," says Lightfoot, whose study is published in the current issue of the Journal of Heredity. |
| Posted by:gorb |
| #12 Yes, Gene is on the second shift and does absolutly nothing but nod off to sleep. I wish he would get fired and I would get his slot |
| Posted by: Chief 2008-07-31 22:16 |
| #11 Can Someone precis this for me? |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2008-07-31 21:43 |
| #10 Obviously, there must be. I know I have it, but I'm too lazy to look for it right now. Laziness is a serious medical ailment in writers. I think we should be compensated by the government for possessing laziness which is obviously a disease of the first magnitude. I'm obviously disabled and should be supported solely on the taxpayer dole. :-) |
| Posted by: FOTSGreg 2008-07-31 17:38 |
| #9 I believe such a gene would have been wiped out long ago as the lazy would be unable to provide. It reverts to a dormant state under duress. You can detect its reemergence in more tolerant environments within populations by the appearance and multiplication of aristocrats, bureaucrats, and welfare recipients. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-07-31 17:31 |
| #8 Is it a gene or conditioning? I believe such a gene would have been wiped out long ago as the lazy would be unable to provide. On the other hand the work-a-holic gene seems to exist in some so its hard to discount. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2008-07-31 11:15 |
| #7 Explains why I like cheese. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2008-07-31 11:02 |
| #6 We have the same genes as mice? Explains why cats like me. To them I smell good. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2008-07-31 10:43 |
#5 Is There a Laziness Gene? I'll let you know when I get around to looking for it. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2008-07-31 09:19 |
| #4 I think there's a big future in laziness. After all, if it weren't for lazy people, we'd still be chopping wood with an ax, hitching up the horses to go to town, and buying blocks of ice to put in the Ice Box to cool our beer. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-07-31 07:34 |
| #3 Whenever I feel lazy , I always put on my jeans . Kick back with a nice beer and enjoy Sunday . The rest of the week my Laziness jeans just disappear . |
| Posted by: Mad Eye 2008-07-31 04:49 |
| #2 gorb, there certainly is a gene for laziness. I'm using gene here loosely, as most predispositions result from multiple genes. Essentially all organisms are genetically programmed to expend the minimum amount of energy to survive and reproduce. The mystery is why some people exercise. An argument could be made that it is reproductive strategy for men, but there's more to it and it's more difficult to explain for women. Otherwise while we are all genetically programmed to be lazy, we will not be all programmed to the same degree of laziness. A population always maintains some variability in characteristics that in different circumstances will affect survival. Your predisposition to get fat is an example. In an environment where plenty of food alternates with shortages, getting fat has clear advantages. However it has clear disadvantages if your primary food source comes from hunting on foot. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2008-07-31 03:24 |
| #1 Yes, there is an answer. Stay off beer, potato chips and remote controls. Get off your ass, walk, bike, run, or swim 6 hours a day, 3 times a week. Eat yoghurt, spinach and tofu. While viewing Rantburg do 500 ab crunches and then 250 chinups between commenting. But if you have the same gene as the mouse - you are SOOL. |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2008-07-31 03:23 |