The question of what we are and how we behave has been going on for throughout the History of Mankind.
‘Is being nice’ is determined by “good breeding?’
Does one behave courteously because he has been brought up that way?
Present day Psychologists , Freudian ,insist that Parents play an important role in the behaviour of a man.
Freud stretched it to the extent that what ever problems one faces, it is directly attributable to the parents.
If you are aggressive, you were exposed to aggressive behaviour at Home.
If meek, you were brought up in a dominating atmosphere.
If you are more sexually oriented, parents are responsible for having been exposed to sex at an early age.
If not interested in Sex, you were brought up in a Repressed Home.
Man has Oedipus Complex, Women have Castration Complex.
Rather cute, isn’t it?
For your action , every one else is responsible, not you!
Now recent Research has found that your behaviour of ‘being nice’ is determined by Hormones like Oxytocin.
Why do they affect the individual this way?
None knows for sure.
However it is proved that you behave the way you do, because you can not help it.
Srrimad Bhagavad Gita, a Sacred text of the Hindus explains it thus.
During the Discourse of The Bhagavad Gita ,Lord Krishna is interrupted by Arjuna thus.
‘You say all problems arising out of Birth and Death are due to actions performed, for actions yield results, Good /Bad.
Some actions produce agreeable results and some not so agreeable.
Good actions lead to Realization of God/Reality .
Bad actions lead to Birth.
Based on this a man is born and goes through the Cycle of Births and Deaths.
This Cycle is because I act.
Were I not to Act/perform actions , I will not attract Sin.
When I perform No Action, no results-period.
No Birth, No pain, No Death.
Lord Krishna advises him with a smile.
‘Do you think that there is any thing I need any thing in this world or in the other worlds,
Or is there anything that I do not have?
Yet I Perform my Duties.
A man can never remain doing nothing.
Even attempting to shut down every thing, you breathe,you think.
All these are actions.
None can be totally relieved of Actions, voluntary or other wise.
Once born , he is controlled by Three dispositions-Gunas.
They force you to act.
Sathva,Wise and Contented.
Rajas, Active and aggressive.
Tamas , inert and ignorant.
These three interact constantly at all times in one’s Life.
Therefore to think of ‘doing nothing’ is an Illusion and definitely not possible.
One behaves the way one does, because he can not help it.
But this can be channelized and regulated.
*This is The Message of Lord Krishna.
All our actions are predetermined.
Now to the Story on hand.
The study found human kindness is not just evoked by good examples set by parents.
In fact, some people are born with generous genes that incline them towards niceness.
Previous studies have linked the hormones oxytocin and vasopressin to the way people treat each other, especially in close relationships.
Scientists already know oxytocin promotes maternal behaviour, with people exposed to the hormone in lab experiments demonstrating greater sociability..
Researchers at the University of Buffalo and the University of California in the United States wanted to apply these previous findings to a larger scale to see if these chemicals promote other forms of nice behaviour, such as giving money to charity.The “nice” hormones work by binding people’s cells through receptors. Certain genes determine how receptive people are to these hormones.
As part of the study, participants were asked questions about their attitudes toward civic duty, such as whether people have a moral duty to report a crime, other people and whether the world is generally a good or bad place, and about their charitable activities, like giving blood or going to PTA meetings.
Of those surveyed, 711 people provided a sample of saliva for DNA analysis, that showed what form they had of the oxytocin and vasopressin receptors.
Results, published in the journal Psychological Science, showed people have “nice” versions of the genes, which when combined with the subjects’ views on the world, make them more likely to help others.
Professor Michel Poulin, of the University of Buffalo, said: “The study found that these genes combined with people’s perceptions of the world as a more or less threatening place to predict generosity.
“Specifically, study participants who found the world threatening were less likely to help others – unless they had versions of the receptor genes that are generally associated with niceness.
“These ‘nicer’ versions of the genes allow you to overcome feelings of the world being threatening and help other people in spite of those fears.
“The fact that the genes predicted behaviour only in combination with people’s experiences and feelings about the world isn’t surprising because most connections between DNA and social behavior are complex.
“So if one of your neighbours seems really generous, caring, civic-minded kind of person, while another seems more selfish, tight-fisted and not as interested in pitching in, their DNA may help explain why one of them is nicer than the other.
“We aren’t saying we’ve found the niceness gene, but we have found a gene that makes a contribution. What I find so interesting is the fact that it only makes a contribution in the presence of certain feelings people have about the world around them.”http://digg.com/newsbar/topnews/reseachers_nice_people_are_born_not_bred
* Srimad Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3 Karma Yoga or the Path of Action. Slokas 5,22
Chapter 14 Gunathraya Vibhaga Yoga-The Interplay of Dispositions.