SSGAC Social Science Genetic
Association Consortium

Responsible communication

Frequently asked questions

We publish a plain-language FAQ document alongside every major paper, explaining in ordinary English how each study was conducted and what it did — and did not — find. We also maintain a general FAQ covering the field as a whole.

Why we do this

Findings in behavioral genetics are easily misinterpreted. Our FAQs aim to communicate our work to the public accurately.

This practice was discussed in a Nature editorial on 2 October 2013.

Start here

General FAQ: Social-Science Genomics

Social-science genomics is an interdisciplinary field that uses genomic data to understand variation in social, behavioral, and economic outcomes. This FAQ gives an overview of the whole field, rather than of any single study.

We wrote it to be a reliable reference for journalists and the general public as well as for researchers. Anyone is welcome to draw on it or cite it in their own writing, so that genomic concepts are described consistently and accurately.

Read the general FAQ Download the PDF

Authors

Daniel J. Benjamin, David Laibson, Michelle N. Meyer and Patrick Turley

Published

25 June 2026 · 11 pages

Cite as

SSRN

Benjamin, D. J., Laibson, D. I., Meyer, M. N., and Turley, P. (2026). General FAQ: Social-Science Genomics. doi:10.2139/ssrn.7088718

FAQ documents by paper

Each document follows the same four-part structure. Every FAQ names the authors who prepared it and gives a contact address for questions.

Polygenic Index Repository Becker et al. (2021), Nature Human Behaviour

What the Repository contains, how the indices were built, and how they should and should not be used.

The document covers

  • Background
  • Study design and results
  • Social and ethical implications
  • Appendices
Read the FAQ (PDF) PGI Repository
Polygenic prediction of educational attainment Okbay et al. (2022), Nature Genetics

A GWAS of educational attainment in three million individuals, and what within-family prediction does and does not show.

The document covers

  • Background
  • Study design and results
  • Social and ethical implications
  • Appendices
Read the FAQ (PDF) Publication
Risk tolerance and risky behaviors Karlsson Linnér et al. (2019), Nature Genetics

Hundreds of loci associated with risk tolerance, and the limits of what that means for individuals.

The document covers

  • Background
  • Study design and results
  • Social and ethical implications
  • Appendices
Read the FAQ (PDF) Publication
Gene discovery and polygenic prediction of educational attainment Lee et al. (2018), Nature Genetics

The 1.1-million-person study, its predictive accuracy, and common misreadings.

The document covers

  • Background
  • Study design and results
  • Social and ethical implications
  • Appendices
Read the FAQ (PDF) Publication
74 loci associated with educational attainment Okbay et al. (2016), Nature

What 74 loci explain, and why that is not “the gene for education”.

The document covers

  • Background
  • Study design and results
  • Social and ethical implications
  • Appendices
Read the FAQ (PDF) Publication
Subjective well-being, depressive symptoms and neuroticism Okbay et al. (2016), Nature Genetics

Genetic variants associated with well-being and related traits.

The document covers

  • Background
  • Study design and results
  • Social and ethical implications
  • Appendices
Read the FAQ (PDF) Publication
Common genetic variants associated with cognitive performance Rietveld et al. (2014), PNAS

Genetic variants associated with cognitive performance, identified using the proxy-phenotype method.

The document covers

  • Background
  • Study design and results
  • Social and ethical implications
  • Appendices
Read the FAQ (PDF) Publication
GWAS of educational attainment in 126,559 individuals Rietveld et al. (2013), Science

The first SSGAC study: genetic variants associated with educational attainment.

The document covers

  • Background
  • Study design and results
  • Social and ethical implications
  • Appendices
Read the FAQ (PDF) Publication

Writing about our work?

Journalists are welcome to contact us.

contact@theSSGAC.org