Findings of a new study published in the journal Translational Psychiatry on June 20 suggest a link between geeky men and their father.
In the new study, researchers surveyed more than 7,700 twins and found that the geeky trait was inherited from parents especially in male children born with older fathers.
Geekiness And Age Of Father During Conception
Researchers found that the percentage of "geek index," or GI, traits were higher in boys whose fathers were older than 35 years old at the time they were conceived. The boys who were conceived when their father was older than 50 years old, on the other hand, were found to score better on STEM exams compared with those who were conceived where their dads were 25 years old.
The association is interestingly found only in boys. The researchers found that the girls with older fathers did not have GI scores as high as the boys.
Study researcher Magdalena Janecka of the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment explained that this may have something to do with how the study researchers defined geekiness. Researchers defined "geek" as people who tend to be socially awkward but overly intellectual.
The study may not have captured the geeky characteristics of the females involved in the research, but females may also have a biological quality that resists these traits.
Janecka also said that 57 percent inheritability of geekiness is combination of the geeky traits of the parents that are passed down and is also attributed to mutations in the sperm of the older fathers.
The mutation occurs as the father ages and his sperm continues to reproduce, which create more odds for errors to occur when DNAs replicate. The study detected the presence of these mutations, but the researchers believe that geekiness is primarily a result of familial traits.
Downsides Of Having Children At An Older Age
Earlier studies suggest that men who have children at an older age may have to face unwanted consequences. One study, for instance, found that children with older fathers have higher odds of having learning disabilities and mental health issues. The children whose dads were at least 45 years old have higher risk for ADHD and autism compared with children whose fathers were 20 and 24 years old. Children with older fathers also have increased risk for schizophrenia.
The age of the father also appears to influence the physical trait of the children. A genetic mutation research, for instance, found that the genetic mutations in older men's genes may result in uglier kids.
The findings of the new study suggest of a positive outcome of having children at an older age.
"Results of our study indicate that APA is associated with some phenotypic advantage in male offspring. A cluster of behavioural and cognitive traits identified as characteristic of 'geeks' was strongly predictive of academic, and thus likely also career success," the researchers wrote in their study.
"We could show that paternal age is more strongly associated with such combination of traits than any of these traits alone."
