FSS-DECO seminar: Sowing the Seeds of Cooperation: The influence of the DRD4 Exon-III polymorphism and the culture of rice farming on cooperative behaviour in China
Speaker: Prof. Lawrence CHOO, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, University of Macau
Date: 13 Novemeber 2024 (Wednesday)
Time: 14:00-15:15
Venue: E21B-G016
Language: English
Abstract: Navigating social dilemmas involves individuals choosing between self-interest and cooperation for mutual benefit, highlighting the need to better understand the drivers of cooperative preferences. To do so, we conducted a public goods game laboratory experiment with 1,182 Han Chinese participants to investigate the influence of nature (the DRD4 Exon-III gene polymorphism) and nurture (the culture of rice-farming), as well as their potential interactions, on cooperative behaviour. We find that both rice-farming culture and the presence of the DRD4 2-repeat allele positively influence cooperative behaviour. Further support for the role of the DRD4 gene polymorphism in shaping cooperative behaviour is provided by our analysis of the Catechol-O-Methyltransferase (rs4680 SNP). Finally, we present suggestive evidence for gene-culture coevolution between the DRD4 Exon-III polymorphism and rice-farming culture in shaping cooperative behaviour: the province-level frequency of DRD4 Exon-III 2-repeat allele carriers positively correlates with both rice-farming culture and the historical age of rice domestication.
