Do we inherit our Enneagram type? Is it part of our genetic makeup? Is there any scientific, biological basis to type?
We have long known that personality is not something encoded in a specific gene. We can’t, for example, point to one snippet of DNA and conclude whether someone is extroverted. Personality is more like a constellation made up of an untold number of genetic variants, shaped by environment, and unique as a fingerprint. While working with the Enneagram is about so much more than the personality, exploring the structure of our personality – including our conscious and unconscious motivations, needs, and desires – is a huge part of the journey.
The Lyre, The Swan, The Lizard, The Fox,” John Flamsteed (1795), from “Atlas céleste de Flamstéed”
This week, Nature published remarkable findings from a group of researchers who were interested in similar questions. They worked with the Big Five personality traits, which overlap in many ways with Enneagram type traits and are considered highly measurable (useful for social science research). While the Big Five measures how our personalities operate in the world, the Enneagram looks at why those traits surface. The researchers analyzed data from millions of participants to identify 1,260 personality-related genetic variants. 824 of those were novel variants, meaning they had never been catalogued before. And experts expect future studies to discover even more variants.
Personality-related genetic associations existed across cultures included in the study, and had some clear implications for physical and mental health. The research also showed that 96% of personality traits can be predicted by genetics, rather than familial or other environmental factors.
What does this mean for studying the Enneagram? It supports something we have already been teaching – that we are born with our Enneatype. We have long known that Enneagram type differences can be striking in families, where people who had very similar childhood experiences reacted to them in very different ways based on their core type. It also supports the use of the Enneagram across cultures.
The research adds an additional, research-backed dimension to the Enneagram, supporting what many teachers have long known: that the Enneagram is an authentically powerful pathway for inner work and greater compassion for ourselves and the world.
If the research piques your interest, let me know. I’d love to hear what you think about it.
And if you’re newer to the Enneagram, or know someone who is, we have a go-at-your-own-pace course you can check out here as you start charting your own inner stars.