ABSTRACT
Exploring the genetic foundation of morality can help people further understand the evolution and development of human morality. This paper reviews the genetic contribution to moral performance of East Asians and compares the genetic effects between East Asians and Westerners. Genes related to the oxytocin (OXTR, CD38), dopamine (COMT, DRD3, DRD4), serotonin (TPH2), testosterone (AR), and arginine vasopressin (AVPR1B) systems are all involved in moral judgment and moral behaviors. Most of these genes are found to show similar effects on moral performance of East Asians and Westerners. We propose the “gene-hormone-brain-psychology- behavior” model to explain the pathways from genetic variation to moral performance. In the end, we discuss future directions of genetic research on morality from four perspectives.
