About this episode

The episode debates whether parenting or genetics has a greater impact on shaping individuals.

What shapes us more: our DNA, or the way we’re raised? ARGUING YES:  Robert Plomin, Professor of Behavioral Genetics at King’s College London  Nancy Segal, Professor of Psychology at California State University, Fullerton and Director at the Twin Studies Center  ARGUING NO:  Paige Harden, Psychology Professor at the University of Texas  Ann Pleshette Murphy, Author & Parenting Expert  Emmy award-winning journalist John Donvan moderates  Recent twin studies: ⁠Parenting in Childhood Predicts Personality in Early Adulthood: A Longitudinal Twin-Differences Study⁠ (APA, 2025) ⁠Genetics of monozygotic twins reveals the impact of environmental sensitivity on psychiatric and neurodevelopmental phenotypes⁠ (Nature Human Behavior, 2025) ⁠Longitudinal associations between cognitive ability and socioeconomic status are partially genetic in Nature⁠ (Scientific Reports, 2026) Join the conversation on Substack—share your perspective on this episode and subscribe to our weekly newsletter for curated insights from our debaters, moderators, and staff.  Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Facebook…

People in this episode

Host: John Donvan

Guests: Robert Plomin, Nancy Segal, Paige Harden, Ann Pleshette Murphy

Topics covered

• parenting
• genetics
• behavioral science
• psychology
• twin studies

Keywords

• parenting
• genetics
• behavioral genetics
• twin studies
• psychology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: King’s College London, California State University, Fullerton, University of Texas, Twin Studies Center, Nature Human Behavior, Scientific Reports, APA

More episodes of Open to Debate

• Is America Ready for a Four-Day Work Week? · September 4, 2026 · 1h 5m
• Is Capitalism Broken? · August 28, 2026 · 1h 8m
• Can Humans Adapt to Climate Change? (Encore) · August 21, 2026 · 53 min
• Is Death Final? (Encore) · August 14, 2026 · 55 min
• Are Primary Elections Ruining Democracy? (Encore) · August 7, 2026 · 53 min
• America 250: Is It Time To Stop Idolizing the Founders? · July 31, 2026 · 53 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Open to Debate podcast page.