Scott Alexander examines a genetic study distinguishing cognitive and non-cognitive skills in educational attainment, revealing unexpected correlations with mental health conditions. Longer summary

This post discusses a genetic study on educational attainment, focusing on the distinction between cognitive and non-cognitive skills that contribute to it. The study, by Demange et al, uses a method called 'GWAS-by-subtraction' to isolate genes associated with non-cognitive skills from those linked to intelligence. Scott Alexander analyzes the results, which show correlations between these genetic factors and various traits, personality factors, and mental health conditions. He highlights surprising findings, particularly the positive correlation between schizophrenia genes and non-cognitive skills beneficial for educational attainment, contrary to previous beliefs about schizophrenia genes being purely detrimental. Shorter summary

Scott reviews a book applying evolutionary psychology to psychiatry, finding the approach intriguing but hard to verify and potentially open to misuse. Longer summary

Scott reviews 'Evolutionary Psychopathology: A Unified Approach' by Marco del Giudice. The book applies evolutionary psychology to psychiatry, using life history theory to explain mental disorders. It proposes that humans adopt different life strategies (fast vs. slow) based on their environment and genetics, which influence personality traits and potentially psychiatric conditions. Scott finds the theory intriguing but notes it requires subdividing existing psychiatric categories in ways that make it hard to verify. He discusses potential social and political implications of the theory, including how it might explain effects of early childhood interventions and romantic success patterns. While seeing promise in the approach, Scott cautions that the theory could be used to justify problematic social views. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander analyzes SSC survey data to explore the conflict vs. mistake theory distinction in political disagreements, finding that Marxists and the alt-right tend more towards conflict theory than other groups. Longer summary

Scott Alexander analyzes data from the SSC survey to explore the distinction between conflict theory and mistake theory in political disagreements. The post presents various survey questions that tap into this distinction and shows correlations between responses. Results indicate that Marxists and the alt-right tend more towards conflict theory, while libertarians and liberals lean more towards mistake theory. The analysis also explores relationships between conflict theory tendencies and various demographic factors, finding some weak correlations with financial situation, self-perceived morality, and certain personality traits. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander analyzes survey results showing high parental satisfaction among his blog readers, comparing the findings to existing research and discussing their implications. Longer summary

Scott Alexander analyzes survey results about parental satisfaction among his blog readers. The survey shows that respondents are overwhelmingly happy with their decision to have children, with a mean satisfaction of 4.43 out of 5. This holds true across genders. When controlling for various factors, the data suggests a trend of increasing life satisfaction with more children. Scott compares these results to existing research, noting similarities and differences. He discusses potential reasons for discrepancies between direct questions about parental happiness and indirect life satisfaction measures. The post also explores correlations between personality traits and parental satisfaction. Scott concludes by reflecting on how these results inform his personal consideration of whether to have children. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explains how to interpret 23andMe genetic data using SNPedia, listing various SNPs and their alleged effects while emphasizing the unreliability of such interpretations. Longer summary

Scott Alexander humorously explores how to use 23andMe genetic testing data 'irresponsibly' by looking up various SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) and their purported effects. He provides instructions on how to access raw genetic data from 23andMe and interpret it using SNPedia. The post then lists several interesting SNPs associated with traits like violence, empathy, anxiety, divorce risk, and longevity. Scott repeatedly emphasizes that these associations are often unreliable, exaggerated, or misinterpreted, and should be taken as entertainment rather than medical advice. Shorter summary