New Study Confirms Arguing Is Genetically Inherited; Funding Agency Disputes Methodology
The researchers say their data is conclusive. Their parents disagree. Their grandparents have questions about the sample size.
A team of researchers at Hebrew University published findings Monday suggesting that the tendency to argue is not learned behavior but genetic in origin, transmitted through a specific sequence on chromosome 7 that the team has named, provisionally, the "But Actually" gene. The study, which took four years and involved 2,400 participants, was immediately disputed by the funding agency that paid for it.
The lead researcher said the findings "speak for themselves," at which point three co-authors interrupted to clarify what the findings were saying. The peer review process, which is ongoing, has so far produced 847 pages of comments, 203 pages of responses to those comments, and a separate document addressing what one reviewer described as "the tone of the responses."
A separate team has announced plans to replicate the study. The original team has preemptively disputed the replication. The journal that published the original study has issued a statement saying it is "aware of the situation" and is monitoring it "closely." It has not elaborated on what closely means in this context.