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Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Advance Access published online on September 7, 2009
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, doi:10.1093/scan/nsp040
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© The Author (2009). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Culture, serotonin receptor polymorphism and locus of attention

Heejung S. Kim1, David K. Sherman1, Shelley E. Taylor2, Joni Y. Sasaki1, Thai Q. Chu1, Chorong Ryu3, Eunkook M. Suh3 and Jun Xu4

1Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9660, 2Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, 3Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea, and 4Department of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA

The present research examined the interaction between genes and culture as potential determinants of individuals’ locus of attention. As the serotonin (5-HT) system has been associated with attentional focus and the ability to adapt to changes in reinforcement, we examined the serotonin 1A receptor polymorphism (5-HTR1A). Koreans and European Americans were genotyped and reported their chronic locus of attention. There was a significant interaction between 5-HTR1A genotype and culture in the locus of attention. Koreans reported attending to the field more than European Americans, and this cultural difference was moderated by 5-HTR1A. There was a linear pattern such that those homozygous for the G allele, which is associated with reduced ability to adapt to changes in reinforcement, more strongly endorsed the culturally reinforced mode of thinking than those homozygous for the C allele, with those heterozygous in the middle. Our findings suggest that the same genetic predisposition can result in divergent psychological outcomes, depending on an individual’s cultural context.

Keywords: culture; 5-HTR1A; attention

Correspondence should be addressed to Heejung S. Kim, Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9660, USA. E-mail: kim{at}psych.ucsb.edu.

This research was supported by National Science Foundation, Human and Social Dynamics, Grant BCS-0729532 & 0734230.

Received March 20, 2009. Accepted August 11, 2009.


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