Genetic factors are associated with educational field choices
What we decide to study is one of the most significant decisions of our lives. The choice of field matters not only for career opportunities, but also for income, well-being, and even the number of children people have. According to statistics, the field of study today influences life trajectories more than the duration of studies.
The University of Helsinki has participated in a large international study that, for the first time, shows genetic factors to be associated with the choice of field of education.
The researchers analyzed genetic data and education records from national registries for more than 460,000 people in Norway and Finland. Education was classified into ten broad fields, such as health, information and communication technology, arts, natural sciences, and engineering.
The study identified 17 individual genetic loci associated with one of these educational fields. For example, four loci were identified in relation to health-related fields and one in relation to technical fields.
In addition, the researchers sought to model and describe the links between genes and fields of education through field-specific predispositions. Genetic associations were observed with two dimensions measuring such predispositions: the first distinguishes education emphasizing technical versus social skills, while the second distinguishes abstract versus practical forms of education.
"Genetics influences our personality, and our personality influence what we study. We can now draw these connections more clearly directly from our DNA", says Associate Professor Andrea Ganna from the University of Helsinki.
The study bridges different academic disciplines
The study’s conceptual framework is exceptional in that it uniquely combines approaches from genetics, health research, and the social sciences.
Based on the results, genetic profiles associated with fields of education also correlate with personality traits as well as factors related to socioeconomic status, mental health, and overall health. According to the research team, the observed links between genes and education most likely reflect more general genetic influences on individual predispositions and life choices.
The researchers emphasize that their results should not be overinterpreted. Genes alone do not determine an individual's choice of field of study and cannot be used to predict it.
Although the observed associations are statistically significant, they are still weak, and the influence of social and cultural environments on educational choices is strong. For example, gender-related expectations and roles, the average income level in a field, or even the influence of a single teacher can significantly shape the choice of field of study.
"This study is a great example of how social sciences and genetic research can benefit from each others and reconcile the nature vs nurture debate", says Ganna.
The research was conducted by a multidisciplinary team from Norway, Finland, and the Netherlands, and its results have just been published in the prestigious journal Nature Genetics. In Finland, the study made use of the FinnGen research data.
Original publication: Genetic associations with educational fields. Cheesman R, Anapaz V, van Alten S, Abdellaoui A, Porneso R, Ebeltoft JC, Ayorech Z, Demange PA, Eilertsen EM, Fauske A, Havdahl A, Lahtinen H, Lyngstad TH, Qin Q; FinnGen; Ganna A, Ystrom E. Nat Genet. 2025 Nov 4. doi: 10.1038/s41588-025-02391-z.