Social Conformity: Habitual or Genetic?

Written by Matti Padilla

           

           Photo from NeuroEducation

            Humans, who are born social creatures, naturally want to communicate and belong with others– possessing the behavioral pattern called social conformity. 

Social conformity is a behavioral pattern where people actively change their opinions, actions, and habits to conform to a larger group they desire to be included in. This can sacrifice the capacity to form meaningful discussions since humans have the desire to feel normal and wanted.

While people may think conforming is done impulsively, there is a genetic basis for social conformity. This involves the pleasure chemical namely dopamine.

Dopamine is correlated with the feeling of being rewarded, which is regulated by the D3 receptor, one of the five dopamine receptors. The D3 receptor is encoded by the DrD3 gene, known for its importance in emotional reactivity and response to environmental stressors. In their 2016 study, Zhao et. al. found that a polymorphism called Ser9Gly (rs6280) causes the D3 receptor to be more responsive to dopamine. The study observed Gly alleles amplify reward-related dopamine activity associated with seeking approval and adopting the opinion of a group. Thus, people with a greater number of Gly alleles of the DRD3 Ser9Gly polymorphism were found to have higher tendencies to conform to the majority than other people

Currently, social conformity is a mass problem as it pairs with other societal issues such as misinformation and vote-buying. People would rather base opinions on hearsay than verifying, or conform if a nonsocial benefit awaits them, like money or social mobility. Social conformity is often related to fear of oppression, whether it be imposed on the self, by friends, or by higher forms of power. To conform is to recognize injustice and act nothing on it, so recognizing our capacity to think and speak out against injustice is important as members of a nation in dire need of change. 

Understanding that some people are genetically disposed to social conformity, we should make efforts to not only associate with people who share the same aspirations we do but to leave nobody behind and help others understand the importance of their voice and the current situation of society. The world needs more people who form their own opinions and speak their truth.