Summary: In a small college-student sample, researchers found that people carrying a specific variant of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) tended to follow more accounts on Instagram. The study did not find evidence that interactions between these genetic variants and relationship-related environmental factors affected online sociability.
Source: Cell Press
A brief exploratory study of university students reports that a particular OXTR gene variant is associated with greater Instagram followings, though no gene-environment interaction was observed. The findings were published September 22 in the journal Heliyon.
Gianluca Esposito, a psychologist at the University of Trento in Italy and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, cautions that these results are preliminary. “These findings should be interpreted with a great degree of caution in the context of genetic association studies,” he says. “This is a small initial investigation and should be replicated across larger and more diverse samples.”
Oxytocin is a neuropeptide often linked to bonding and social behavior. Variants in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR), particularly single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), have been associated in past research with traits such as parenting behavior, attachment, empathy, and relationship satisfaction. However, relatively little work has examined how OXTR variants might relate to sociability in online environments like social media.
Previous studies reported associations between the rs53576 SNP in OXTR and social behaviors: individuals carrying the G allele were sometimes found to seek more social support under stress and report higher empathy and marital satisfaction compared with A-allele carriers. Given this background, Esposito and colleagues set out to test whether OXTR variants interact with adult attachment style to shape Instagram behavior.
The study included 57 students from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, aged 18 to 25. Sixteen participants were male. None reported having children or a history of psychiatric, neurological, or genetic disorders. Participants provided DNA samples and completed an online questionnaire measuring adult attachment anxiety and avoidance in romantic relationships.
Researchers genotyped two OXTR SNPs (rs53576 and rs2254298) from participants’ DNA and analyzed their public Instagram profiles, recording the number of posts, followers, and accounts followed. The study also calculated a Social Desirability Index (SDI), defined as the ratio of followers to followings, to provide an additional measure of online social visibility.
Contrary to expectations for gene-environment interaction, the analysis did not reveal significant interactions between OXTR variants and attachment measures on Instagram posting or SDI. Instead, a main effect emerged for rs53576: participants with the AA genotype followed more accounts on Instagram than those carrying the G allele, and this pattern was independent of reported anxiety or avoidance in close relationships.
The authors suggest that the AA genotype at rs53576 may be associated with an increased inclination toward online sociability, as reflected in the number of accounts followed. However, they emphasize that interpretations must remain tentative given the small sample size and exploratory nature of the study.
Esposito notes that the behavioral roles of the A and G alleles at OXTR SNPs are still debated in the literature. These initial results, he adds, could encourage follow-up research that applies a gene-environment framework to social media behavior, ideally with larger and more diverse participant groups and more comprehensive measures of online interaction.
Funding: This research was supported by grants from Nanyang Technological University Singapore and the Singapore Ministry of Education. The authors declare no conflict of interest.
About this genetics and psychology research news
Author: Carly Britton
Source: Cell Press
Contact: Carly Britton – Cell Press
Image: The image is in the public domain
Original Research: Open access. “The relation between oxytocin receptor gene polymorphisms, adult attachment, and Instagram sociability: An exploratory analysis” by Carollo et al., Heliyon
Abstract
The relation between oxytocin receptor gene polymorphisms, adult attachment, and Instagram sociability: An exploratory analysis
Oxytocin is a primary neuropeptide that coordinates affiliative behavior. Previous research has linked genetic variation in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) and environmental factors, such as close social relationships, to individual differences in social behavior. While in-person social interactions have been extensively studied, less is known about sociability in online contexts.
This study adopted a gene-environment perspective to examine how OXTR variants and adult attachment may be associated with Instagram behavior. Two genetic regions were assessed: OXTR/rs53576 (comparing A/A homozygotes to G-carriers) and OXTR/rs2254298 (comparing G/G homozygotes to A-carriers). Adult attachment was measured using the Experience in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) questionnaire in a sample of 57 participants (16 males).
Instagram metrics recorded included number of posts, followed accounts (“followings”), and followers. The Social Desirability Index (SDI) was calculated as the ratio of followers to followings. The authors hypothesized interaction effects between OXTR groups and attachment scores on posting behavior and SDI.
Results revealed a main effect of rs53576 on the number of accounts followed: individuals with the A/A genotype had more followings than G-carriers, regardless of attachment-related anxiety or avoidance toward a partner. No significant gene-by-attachment interactions were observed for the other Instagram measures.
These preliminary findings offer direction for future investigations into how genetic variants related to social behavior may relate to patterns of online social engagement.