--- title: Genes Are an Important Part of Parenting Behavior description: Or a bad one, for that matter. A new study suggests both genetic and environmental factors determine how a parent is likely to raise a child, both positively and negatively canonical: https://time.com/33471/how-your-genes-help-you-become-a-good-parent/ author: Kelly Conniff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-03-22T17:07:26.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:55:02.855Z og:title: Genes Are an Important Part of Parenting Behavior og:description: Or a bad one, for that matter. A new study suggests both genetic and environmental factors determine how a parent is likely to raise a child, both positively and negatively og:url: https://time.com/33471/how-your-genes-help-you-become-a-good-parent/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf51039c666dedf7f/698686ce06f2c14ce332dff5/478169067.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1500 og:image:height: 844 og:image:alt: Mother holding baby girl in nursery og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Genes Are an Important Part of Parenting Behavior twitter:description: Or a bad one, for that matter. A new study suggests both genetic and environmental factors determine how a parent is likely to raise a child, both positively and negatively twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf51039c666dedf7f/698686ce06f2c14ce332dff5/478169067.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How Your Genes Help You Become A Good Parent > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=893a537e-fa50-45dc-8193-0cd210a330e6&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1)  by [Kelly Conniff](https://time.com/author/kelly-conniff/)  ## Kelly Conniff Conniff is deputy editor at TIME. Mar 22, 2014 5:07 PM UTC  Mother holding baby girl in nursery Mother holding baby girl in nursery Getty Images  by [Kelly Conniff](https://time.com/author/kelly-conniff/)  ## Kelly Conniff Conniff is deputy editor at TIME. Mar 22, 2014 5:07 PM UTC Scared expectant parents are always told that knowing how to take care of their offspring just comes naturally. Turns out a new study by [Michigan State University](http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2014/genes-play-key-role-in-parenting/) psychologists backs up that theory with cold, hard facts. A statistical analysis of 56 studies about the origins of parenting habits around the globe, involving more than 200,000 families, determined that genes play a big part in how adults choose to parent their children, [according to Science Daily](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140320101501.htm). The study, which was published in the Psychological Bulletin, a research journal of the American Psychological Association, found that our genetics control 23 to 40 percent of the positive and negative emotions that parents hold toward their children. The results of this study also go against long-accepted conventional wisdom that nurturing is mostly determined by how parents were raised themselves. “The way we parent is not solely a function of the way we were parented as children,” said S. Alexandra Burt, associate professor of psychology and co-author of the study. “There also appears to be genetic influences on parenting.” In reality, how parents choose to control their child’s behavior comes from a complex cocktail of environmental and genetic factors, including but not limited to how a child’s behavior and development influences the parent. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/33471/how-your-genes-help-you-become-a-good-parent/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/33471/how-your-genes-help-you-become-a-good-parent/"},"headline":"How Your Genes Help You Become A Good Parent","datePublished":"2014-03-22T17:07:26.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:55:02.855Z","description":"Or a bad one, for that matter. 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