# Is laziness a hereditary trait or self learned?



## Tempered Tense

I watch my immediate family of which I was not raised in and begin to wonder.  My mom ( this is annonymous ) was ( was being the opperative word ) addicted to alcohol.  My brother ( half brother ) younger than I am but still an adult, while he never did drugs or never even drinks, spends literaly about 20 hours a day on the internet playing everquest, only getting up to eat and sleep.  My step father, ( brothers father )  was active in life till he was about in his late 40's, then went downhill into alcohol, and depression.  I look at myself and worry about the same fate.  I work, am a mother, but recently within the past several years have ran into many obstacles and hardships, and have temporarily been plunged into staying with my family, whom for the most part I have been able to avoid for a good majority of my life.  I love them, but get along best from a distance.  When I see them almost 24 hours a day, sitting in a constant cloud of smoke in a small conjested apartment, talking to friends they only know from behind an illuminating screen, I become so depressed , angry, and begin to worry if this may or may not be my fate as well.  How far does DNA go?  I know character traits are inherited, as are addictive personality traits. But to what extent?  After all, it is proven that depression is hereditary?  But where do we draw the line between depression, and sheer laziness?  And is laziness itself a characteristic hereditary trait?


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## Tempered Tense

I watch my immediate family of which I was not raised in and begin to wonder.  My mom ( this is annonymous ) was ( was being the opperative word ) addicted to alcohol.  My brother ( half brother ) younger than I am but still an adult, while he never did drugs or never even drinks, spends literaly about 20 hours a day on the internet playing everquest, only getting up to eat and sleep.  My step father, ( brothers father )  was active in life till he was about in his late 40's, then went downhill into alcohol, and depression.  I look at myself and worry about the same fate.  I work, am a mother, but recently within the past several years have ran into many obstacles and hardships, and have temporarily been plunged into staying with my family, whom for the most part I have been able to avoid for a good majority of my life.  I love them, but get along best from a distance.  When I see them almost 24 hours a day, sitting in a constant cloud of smoke in a small conjested apartment, talking to friends they only know from behind an illuminating screen, I become so depressed , angry, and begin to worry if this may or may not be my fate as well.  How far does DNA go?  I know character traits are inherited, as are addictive personality traits. But to what extent?  After all, it is proven that depression is hereditary?  But where do we draw the line between depression, and sheer laziness?  And is laziness itself a characteristic hereditary trait?


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## Daniel

> When I see them almost 24 hours a day, sitting in a constant cloud of smoke in a small conjested apartment, talking to friends they only know from behind an illuminating screen...



This describes a lot of people who don't necessarily have depression but can afford to be inactive.  Laziness used to be a luxury only for the rich, and there is a book called _The Joy of Laziness_.  




> I become so depressed , angry, and begin to worry if this may or may not be my fate as well.



You may not be the female version of Bill Gates, but even severely depressed people can be surprisingly active at times.    

Do you have problems with procrastination? If so:



> Procrastination is not just an issue of time management or laziness. It's about feeling paralyzed and guilty as you channel surf, knowing you should be cracking the books or reconfiguring your investment strategy. Why the gap between incentive and action? Psychologists now believe it is a combination of anxiety and false beliefs about productivity.
> Stand and Deliver - PsychologyToday.com



Regarding genetics and so-called laziness:



> Laziness is not an innate trait.
> 
> -- Mel Levine, The Myth of Laziness


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## Daniel

> When I see them almost 24 hours a day, sitting in a constant cloud of smoke in a small conjested apartment, talking to friends they only know from behind an illuminating screen...



This describes a lot of people who don't necessarily have depression but can afford to be inactive.  Laziness used to be a luxury only for the rich, and there is a book called _The Joy of Laziness_.  




> I become so depressed , angry, and begin to worry if this may or may not be my fate as well.



You may not be the female version of Bill Gates, but even severely depressed people can be surprisingly active at times.    

Do you have problems with procrastination? If so:



> Procrastination is not just an issue of time management or laziness. It's about feeling paralyzed and guilty as you channel surf, knowing you should be cracking the books or reconfiguring your investment strategy. Why the gap between incentive and action? Psychologists now believe it is a combination of anxiety and false beliefs about productivity.
> Stand and Deliver - PsychologyToday.com



Regarding genetics and so-called laziness:



> Laziness is not an innate trait.
> 
> -- Mel Levine, The Myth of Laziness


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## mrdaniel

i have my doubts of laziness been herediitary, each person has thier own mind, the mind has the abilty to reinvent you reality at any time you chose


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## mrdaniel

i have my doubts of laziness been herediitary, each person has thier own mind, the mind has the abilty to reinvent you reality at any time you chose


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## just mary

And what one person considers lazy, another might consider it hard working.  Laziness is subjective and I don't think it's hereditary.  You do have a choice and from your post you obviously don't want their type of lifestyle.  But being in that atmosphere does sound depressing, and it might make me angry too.  Are you able to get out occasionally?  If so, I would try to as often as possible.

Take care.


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## just mary

And what one person considers lazy, another might consider it hard working.  Laziness is subjective and I don't think it's hereditary.  You do have a choice and from your post you obviously don't want their type of lifestyle.  But being in that atmosphere does sound depressing, and it might make me angry too.  Are you able to get out occasionally?  If so, I would try to as often as possible.

Take care.


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## Abraxis

personally, I consider anything possible so long as I exert the necessary amount of will and energy into achieving my goal.  Is anything truly possible? maybe, or maybe not.  But the important aspects of this view are that I do not restrict myself to only pursuing things I consider "doable", and I recognize it is a matter of will.  Put no borders around your imagination for possibility, and if it works for you as it has for me, than you will not feel so daunted by how horribly hard some parts can be.  Acknowledge it's a matter of choice, and you see that no matter what your family is like, you have the capability to be anything you want to be, be it completely different, or completely identical, and every shade in between.  If you see a goal, not wanting to be lazy, then recognize this is attainable.  Recognize it's attainable, and you'll ask how?  By choosing to pursue it.  By pursuing this goal, you separate yourself from what you don't want to be.  I know that my own father is ridiculously against physical activity.  he sits at his computer from when he wakes till when he goes to work, and then from when he gets home until he goes to sleep.  I know I do not want to be this way.  How do I avoid it?  By choosing such.  One of my best friends gets by in life with the least amount of enegy required.  He is the most lazy person I know, and he is barely capable of fending for himself in terms of willpower (constantly needs someone else to supplement his lax).  How do I avoid being like him?  Once again, by seeing what I do not want to be, thus creating an opposing goal of how I want to be, and then choosing to pursue it.  I see how much energy and will is required to do so, and then exert that amount.  Consider anything possible, and it is.


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## Eunoia

you're right in that certain behaviours, disorders, traits are hereditary but again, that doesn't mean that ONLY genes will determine the outcome of your life. You may be more prone to certain things but our environment and will to succeed also play a huge roal. Laziness in itself, I doubt that it's only from our genes. It's more of an attitude in that you (usually) can chose what to do w/ your life, day, hour to a certain extend at least. You may be lazy at one point or even for a week but that doesn't mean you'll be lazy forever. Some people take out an hour of their day to relax or meet up w/ friends and then they think they're lazy but actually that exact hour probably rejuvenates you to be able to keep going, do more work, and feel somewhat balanced in your life! It's difficult to break cycles, w/in yourself and especially if those around you are "stuck" at those points as well, but I think you have a very good chance of making life be for you what you want it to be. People overcome obstacles if they are presented w/ them through nature or nurture but the point is nothing is ever 100%, there are ways you can get around them....


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