For some reason, we hugely under-value our genetic makeup and its influence on us as individuals.I'm not really sure why either, considering we inherit cognitive function (thinking style) from our parents, in the same way that our physical characteristics are passed down in.Thinking style isn't as fixed throughout life, however. The Disconnected Mind team at Edinburgh University have found, in a long term study, that by the time we reach old age, the change between our cognitive function from childhood is largely due to environmental influences than genetics by 75:25. With the rise of online genealogy, there's a fair amount of historical information and ancestral records available but why, for instance, aren't family handovers (or hand-downs) a thing? Writing 'life reviews' and teaching new members about the livelihoods of their bloodlines, the illness or diseases of those past and any other familial context would certainly help understand health predispositions that are often difficult to find answers for.In psychopathology (the study of mental disorders), both a genetic predisposition and an appropriate environmental trigger are required for a mental disorder to develop.Genes only load the gun, it's what then happens to us that pulls the trigger – Dr. Daniel Amen (Brain Health Specialist)