Nature Vs. Nurture, featuring Jordan Smoller, MD ScD – Shrinking It Down

Nature vs. Nurture - DNA with a blue background

By Steven Schlozman, MD and Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Posted in: Grade School, Hot Topics, Multimedia, Parenting Concerns, Podcast, Teenagers, You & Your Family

Topics: Mental Illness + Psychiatric Disorders

Is it always nature vs. nurture, or do the two interact? Many parents worry that their own or a family member’s mental health disorder destine their children to struggle in the same way. But, while many psychiatric disorders do run in families to some extent, so do lots of things! Right down to food preferences and professions. So, what have genes got to do with it? On today’s episode of Shrinking It Down, special guest Dr. Jordan Smoller, of MGH’s Center for Genomic Medicine, joins Gene and Steve to discuss how nature and nurture always work together. How much does our environment influence our lives and compete with our genes? What are the biggest protective factors against mental health issues, regardless of what we’re born with? Plus, how Sesame Street helps to support kids and families, everywhere. Tune in for more.

Thank you for joining in this conversation. Have questions or comments about nature vs. nurture and mental health? Write to us!

Media List

Jordan W. Smoller, MD, ScD (Center for Genomic Medicine)
Kansas City Fans Celebrate Chief’s Super Bowl Victory (NPR)
Echo In the Canyon | Official Trailer (YouTube)
Vinyl Is Bigger Than We Thought. Much Bigger. (Forbes)
Q+A: I Struggle with Anxiety and See It in My 7-Year Old. I’m Worried – What Should I Do? (MGH Clay Center)
Largest study of its kind reveals that many psychiatric disorders arise from common genes (Science Daily)
There Are Sorts of Ways of Making Things Better (MGH Clay Center)
The Roots of Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Childhood Trauma, Information Processing, and Self-protective Strategies (Chronic Stress)
To be good enough (Canadian Family Physician)
Development and vulnerability in close relationships (Gil Noam, Kurt Fischer)
The Rise of Oxygen Bars (WebMD)
Prospective study of polygenic risk, protective factors, and incident depression following combat deployment in US Army soldiers. (Psychological Medicine)
Lower risk of depression with elevated exercise (The Harvard Gazette)
Led Zeppelin – What Is and What Should Never Be (Official Music Video) (YouTube)
A new effort to help the youngest refugees (CBS News)
Sesame Street: Happy Furry Monsters Song with R.E.M (YouTube)
Mean Girls (On Broadway)
Bonus: Mary Tyler Moore Theme Song (YouTube)

Episode produced by Sara Rattigan

Music by Gene Beresin

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Steven Schlozman, MD

Steven Schlozman, MD, is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (HMS), course director of the psychopathology class for the MIT-HMS Program in Health, Sciences and Technology, and former co-director of the Clay Center for Youn...

To read full bio click here.

Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Gene Beresin, MD, MA is executive director of The MGH Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, and a staff child and adolescent psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is also...

To learn more about Gene, or to contact him directly, please see Our Team.