Your ‘geek index’ (GI) level might be related to the age of your father, a new study in the journal Translational Psychiatry suggests.
Researchers analysed over 8000 twins to see if there was a link between men who conceived at an advanced paternal age (APA) and phenotypic advantage of their male offspring.
Historically speaking, those who produced at an older age in a high mortality environment would have passed on favourable traits to their offspring.
But these days APA can be related to “extended educational and career pursuits” and therefore having children at an older age. Having kids earlier in life, meanwhile, is now typically associated with a lower education and economic disadvantage, according to the study.
Researchers based high “geek index” on “strong focus on the subject of interest and little concern about ‘fitting in’ will be associated with such success.”
They looked at the association between GI and school results in the UK. Researchers found that male children of fathers who were over 50 were 32 per cent more likely to get two A+ grades than those produced by dads younger than 25 when they were conceived.
“Our study suggests that there may be some benefits associated with having an older father. We have known for a while about the negative consequences of advanced paternal age, but now we have shown that these children may also go on to have better educational and career prospects,” said study author Dr Magdalena Janecka.
