Robert Plomin talks to Rosie Boycott

A pioneer in the field of behavioural genetics, Plomin draws on a lifetime’s worth of research to make the case that DNA is the most important factor in shaping who we are. Our families, schools and the environment around us are important, but they are not as influential as our genes. This is why, he argues, teachers and parents should accept children for who they are, rather than trying to mould them in certain directions. Even the environments we choose and the signal events that impact our lives, from divorce to addiction, are influenced by our genetic predispositions. Now, thanks to the DNA revolution, it is becoming possible to predict who we will become, at birth, from our DNA alone. #Discuss