A person’s genes contain instructions that tell the cells what to do. The genes determine a person's eye and hair color, their height as well as a few

A person’s genes contain instructions that tell the cells what to do. The genes determine a person's eye and hair color, their height as well as a few other things that will surprise you. Genes have also been found to influence a person’s eating preferences, sleeping patterns, spending habits, what they’re afraid of, and even how faithful a person is when they’re in a relationship. Let’s take a look at all the strange things genes play a role in controlling.  1. Fats and Sugars Over the last few decades, researchers have shown that losing weight is not as simple as some people make it out to be, and that because some of our genes are programmed to make us consume food with more fats and sugar. Back when we were hunter-gatherers, having three meals a day wasn’t guaranteed, but as time passed, our bodies realized that sugary and fatty foods provided energy that lasted longer than protein, and it's because they contained more calories. Additionally, fats weigh less, and it is easier to store in the body. The people who survived without having food for a few days contained “thrifty genes” that allowed them to do so, while most of those who died, did not.  2. Fear of Animals  Many people have a fear of crawling animals, the most common of which are spiders and snakes. This trait has also been seen in children, some of whom have never had bad experiences with these animals. According to two different studies, several children, aged 6-months, showed signs of stress when they were shown pictures of the animals. The same reaction was not seen when they were shown flowers or fish. Another study showed that people were able to quickly identify spiders, even when the images were distorted. It turns out that some people have genes that allow them to easily detect these animals and most of our ancestors who didn’t, died off because they were more likely to be bitten.  3. Sleep It has been recommended that humans get an average of seven hours of sleep every night. Anything less than six hours tends to cause fatigue and a list of other problems if a lack of sleep persists. Fatigued individuals tend to be both physically and mentally weaker and are often unable to concentrate or think logically. There are, however, a few people who can survive and thrive off a few hours of sleep. These people are said to have the Thatcher gene. Named after Britain’s former prime minister, scientists found that people with the gene had “perfect” brain power despite a lack of sleep.  4. Infidelity For centuries, people have asked the question “what makes people cheat?” Well in 2010, researchers from Binghamton University published a study that showed that men who had the DRD4 gene were more likely to cheat than a man who did not have it. These men had no legitimate reason for cheating, and only did it for the excitement. According to the lead researcher, Justin Garcia, this was likely because the gene is linked to dopamine, a pleasure hormone. Other researchers, like Robert Weiss believe that Garcia’s research is inconclusive and that other factors like life experience and personal decisions had a bigger role to play in infidelity. 5. Smelly Armpits Research has shown that 98% of people smell when they’re sweaty, and the 2% who do not can thank their ABC11 gene. The gene’s function was discovered by English researchers from the University of Bristol who conducted a study on 6,495 women, with only 117 having the gene. Oddly enough, scientists already knew about the gene, but only its effects on earwax. It is believed that the gene makes sweat odorless because it produces less amino acids which means that there is less bacteria that makes you stink.

Surprising Things Controlled by Our Genes

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