Jobs and hobbies `in the genes`
Updated on 09 September 2008
Trainspotters and Morris dancers can now defend their unfashionable hobbies as a genetic inevitability, according to research.
The study, commissioned by ancestry website findmypast.com, suggests that more than a quarter of us have inherited our ancestors' pastimes and professions in the same way we inherited our surnames and eye-colour from them.
Hobbies, such as Morris dancing, fishing or sailing, and professions such as journalism and nursing can all be handed down from parent to child through, what researchers are calling, the 'hobby gene'.
For example, London Mayor Boris Johnson's ancestors shared his dual interests of journalism and politics and Hollywood actress Drew Barrymore can trace her 'acting gene' back nearly 200 years.
Even relatively obscure occupations can be handed down through the generations, as with Patsy Kensit's family who can boast several generations of walking stick finishers in their family tree.
The 'hobby gene' is strongest with people from Scotland and Northern Ireland with 31% having discovered ancestors with similar occupations and hobbies.
Londoners also share the phenomenon with 27% sharing similar occupations and hobbies with their ancestors.
Elaine Collins, commercial director at findmypast.com, said: "We tend to think of the trades and pastimes our ancestors participated in as outdated, but it appears that while many specific occupations may have changed or disappeared over time as social trends and the economy has shifted, many of these core skills and interests are still being passed down from generation to generation.
"You would be surprised with how many people have found that they actually come from a long line of doctors, actors, sailors or stamp collectors."
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