Genetic variants implicated in personality: A review of the more promising candidates

Alleles of the serotonin transporter gene ( SERT ) and the dopamine 4 receptor gene ( DRD4 ) were first associated with anxiety‐related and novelty‐seeking personality traits, respectively, in 1996. These early successes precipitated a flood of research into the genetic basis of personality; a quest that has yet to yield decisive answers. Here, both the theoretical and the empirical evidence implicating specific loci—in particular SERT and DRD4—in the development of personality is evaluated. Despite a paucity of statistically significant results following post‐hoc analysis, and an excess of positive results derived from studies with small sample sizes, the existence of a genuine effect is argued for: a gene‐personality relationship rendered periodically latent through genetic epistasis, gene–environment interactions, variation in genetic background, and the presence of other confounding variables. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.