New research from the University of Bath’s School of Management shows that a genetic predisposition for success can be derailed by childhood adversity, shifting focus from long term goals to immediate survival, creating hidden barriers to social mobility.
The study, published in Communications Psychology, finds that genes associated with educational attainment influence how people weigh risks and wait for payoffs - but the direction of these effects is shaped by childhood circumstances.
Individuals from advantaged backgrounds with higher genetic scores for educational attainment tend to show greater risk tolerance and patience, traits that facilitate seizing opportunities, investing in the future and achieving upward mobility, as well as positively impacting on health and other life outcomes.
People from disadvantaged backgrounds show a different pattern. The same genetic predispositions are channelled toward heightened caution and a focus on immediate needs, helping to navigate threat, uncertainty and scarcity but often leading to conservative choices that prioritise survival over long-term gains.
Chris Dawson, Professor of Economics and Behavioural Science from the University of Bath’s School of Management, said: “The research shows that the 'biological blueprints' for success are often rewritten by poverty. While some are born with a genetic predisposition for high attainment, early-life adversity can shift this predisposition toward survival strategies that prioritize the 'now' over the 'future,' creating a hidden barrier to social mobility.
“People from advantaged backgrounds can use their genetic head start to take calculated risks and delay gratification, supporting upward mobility. In disadvantaged environments people are focused on managing threat and uncertainty and are more sensitive to loss.”
Risk-taking and patience influence major life decisions such as pursuing higher education, investing in career opportunities, entrepreneurship, or long-term financial planning – decisions that drive socioeconomic outcomes and intergenerational mobility.
Professor Dawson analysed genetic, behavioural, and background data from tens of thousands of UK adults of European ancestry drawn from a large national cohort (English Longitudinal Study of Ageing).
He calculated polygenic scores for educational attainment to capture genetic propensity for learning and academic success. These scores were then linked to adult economic preferences, including risk tolerance, loss aversion and time preferences – the tendency to prioritise immediate versus future rewards.
Childhood socioeconomic conditions were included to test whether early-life advantage or disadvantage changes how these genetic predispositions are expressed. Analyses controlled for age, sex, and population structure.
Associations of genetic variants for educational success with risk and time preferences vary by childhood environment is published in Communications Psychology.