Feeling aggressive? It could be your 'warrior gene' in action

Do you have the 'warrior gene'?

I believe that I am a peaceful man, longing for harmony: I never shout at lazy students (yes, they do exist at Asia's No1 university, HKUST); and I never used to beat my two boys when they were small and very naughty. As a scientist, however, I like creative solutions and am ready to take big risks.

The Swiss DNA test company Igenea has a new test for the 'MAOA gene'. I was tempted to try - a swab from my mouth would be sufficient. So why not?

The background: monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) is an enzyme in our body that breaks down important neurotransmitters in the brain. Neurotransmitters like dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin help transfer the nerve impulses. The enzyme is encoded in our DNA by the MAOA gene.

Humans have various forms of the gene, resulting in different levels of enzymatic activity. People with the low-activity form (MAOA-L) produce less of the enzyme, while the high-activity form (MAOA-H) produces more of the enzyme.

Less MAOA means your neurotransmitters are less broken down. You have a higher concentration in the blood. You should be more aggressive.

Rose McDermott, a professor at Brown University, had a theory that individuals with MAOA-L display higher levels of aggression- they're not aggressive in general, just in response to provocation. She ran an experiment in which subjects were asked to cause physical pain to an opponent they believed had taken money from them. How to punish them? By administering varying amounts of hot, spicy sauce.