19 Traits You Didn’t Know You Inherited from Mom and Dad

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The Human Genome Project estimates that humans have between 20,000 and 25,000 genes, determining sequences of the entire human genome. Each person has two copies of each gene; one copy is inherited from each parent. Although we tend to look at the world around us for answers about why things happen, the genetic blueprint of any individual significantly influences individuality.

Every cell in your body carries a genetic map from your parents, combining the features passed down through generations. Inherited patterns are far more complex than they seem; dominant and recessive genes interactively determine one’s physical makeup and emotional and behavioral tendencies. Beyond what meets the eye, your inherited traits tell stories about your lineage and biology that may surprise you.

Eye Color

Scientists thought that eye color depended on a single gene, says Verywell Health. Such genetic research has become more advanced to prove that over 50 genes influence eye color. The color of one’s eyes depends on many genes, but OCA2 and HERC2 are the most impactful.

While brown eyes are dominant, recessive genes from both parents can result in lighter colors, such as blue or green. Complex combinations mean that even if both parents have brown eyes, their child may inherit blue or green eyes if those recessive genes are present.

Hair Texture

Your hair’s texture- straight, wavy, or curly- is primarily determined by a gene known as trichohyalin, TCHH. When one parent is straight-haired, and the other is curly-haired, you often inherit a combination of the two, giving you wavy hair.

How curly your hair is will also be determined by structures known as keratins, controlled by genes originating from both your mother and father. This is why full siblings sometimes have very different hair textures, though their parents are identical.

Dimples

Dimples are considered a dominant genetic trait, meaning that if one parent has dimples, there’s a high chance you’ll inherit them. However, the inheritance can be complicated since multiple genes influence this feature.

Dimples are caused by a slight muscle variation that creates an indentation in the cheeks when smiling. This simple genetic quirk has become one of the most endearing inherited traits, often creating a visible family resemblance.

Handedness

Handedness—whether right-handed or left-handed—is partly genetic but also shaped by environmental factors. According to BBC Focus Magazine, if both parents are left-handed, there’s a 26% chance their child will also be left-handed, compared to a 10% chance in the general population.

While right-handedness is more common, genes that influence brain asymmetry play a role in determining your dominant hand.

Height

According to MedlinePlus, the DNA sequence variations that people inherit determine around 80 percent of their height. Hundreds of genetic variants, including those in the FGFR3 and GH1 genes, contribute to determining height.

Parent height strongly predicts child height, but that’s not all there is. Nutrition, exercise, and overall health during childhood can influence whether you reach your genetic potential.

Freckles

It comes about due to a combination of genes and sun exposure. According to Learn Genetics, the MC1R gene predisposes you to freckles. Most times, you are likely to inherit freckles, especially if you have one or both parents with this type of gene variation.

These tiny spots naturally respond to ultraviolet exposure, appearing more pronounced in sunny climates.

Body Shape

Your body shape—whether pear-shaped, apple-shaped, or athlete-shaped—is influenced by how it stores fat and builds muscle. Genes determining fat distribution, including those dealing with metabolism and hormonal regulation, are very influential.

For instance, when your parents naturally have broad shoulders, you may as well grow up with equally broad shoulders. Lifestyle factors also go a long way in shaping one’s physique.

Smile Style

While your laugh’s tone and sound aren’t genetic, the way you laugh often resembles your parents. Growing up, you unconsciously develop the sound of their voice and even their reactions to certain situations.

With time, your laugh develops a familial resemblance by combining genetic influences, the structure of your vocal cords, and learned behaviors.

Taste Preferences

Your genes, such as TAS2R38, affect your ability to taste a particular flavor, especially bitterness. Such genes determine whether you are sensitive to bitter compounds found in foods like broccoli, kale, or brussel sprouts.

If one parent strongly dislikes bitter tastes, you might inherit that preference and shape your likes and dislikes about food early on.

Sleep Patterns

Your circadian rhythm, your natural sleep-wake cycle, is determined by how your genes are expressed. According to Havard University, genes such as PER3 influence whether one is a morning person, lark, or night owl.

If either or both of your parents have sleep traits, for instance, always being late to bed, you are more likely to acquire those traits. This hereditary rhythm influences the time you sleep and wakes up and the degree of alertness at specific times during the day.

Fear Reactions

Fear reactions, whether phobias or hypersensitivities to certain types of stimuli, may have a genetic basis. Epigenetic studies indicate that events that are traumatic in one generation can affect stress responses in the next.

If a parent has an irrational fear of spiders, their child could inherit a heightened response to similar stimuli through a shared neural structure or learned behavior.

Skin Color

Multiple genes influence skin tone, including SLC24A5 and MC1R, which regulate melanin production. Skin color reflects a combination of genes from both parents, creating a unique blend.

Environmental factors like sun exposure can further affect pigmentation, but the genetic blueprint determines your base skin tone and susceptibility to tanning or burning.

Athletic Ability

These genes, such as ACTN3 and ACE, are linked to muscle strength, stamina, and speed. You could be great if your mum or dad were talented in most sporting activities.

This genetic characteristic will define whether you are a sprinter, a long-distance runner, or adapted for sports relying on forces. Training and hard work are still considered, but genetics starts everything.

Smile Shape

Franklin Dental Centre highlights that genetics can determine the structure of your smile: the jaw’s shape and the teeth’ alignment. If one of your parents has a wide or narrow smile, or if they have prominent dimples, you may inherit these characteristics.

Even tooth alignment, often requiring braces, can express passed-down jaw structure through generations.

Tone of Voice

The physical makeup of your vocal cords and throat determines your voice’s pitch and resonance. These characteristics are determined by your genes, which means that family members can sound similar.

Many siblings and parents sound enough alike that people have difficulty distinguishing between them when they hear them over the phone.

Metabolism

FTO genes, for example, are based on your metabolic rate, reflecting how your body efficiently burns off calories. You may inherit a tendency from your parents to have a faster metabolism.

Meanwhile, other genes increase the risk of being overweight by influencing metabolic rates, which can be worsened further by some behavior patterns.

Finger Length Ratio

The ratio between your index and ring fingers, influenced by HOXA and HOXD genes, can reveal prenatal exposure to hormones like testosterone. This ratio is linked to various traits, from athletic ability to sensitivity to stress.

Observing your parents’ finger ratios often reveals similar patterns. Ancestry states that genes are responsible for about 60% of the variation in finger length from one person to the next.

Baldness

According to the World Population Review, about 39 percent of men in the United States have partially or fully lost their hair. The AR gene on the X chromosome, which men inherit from their mothers, is mainly responsible for male-pattern baldness.

However, the genes from both sides of the family contribute to hair thinning and loss, so it is considered a complex multimodal trait influenced by genetic solid interactions.

Body Odor

Body odor intensity is connected with the ABCC11 gene, which dictates the kind of sweat you produce. If one or both of your parents have a strong profile in terms of body odor, then you are likely to inherit it.

This gene also influences whether your earwax is dry or sticky-just another surprising inherited trait.

Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.