Scientists Finally Pinpoint the "Lazy" Gene

http://channels.netscape.com/ns/news.../wakingupearly

And for those of you who might have difficulty viewing it:

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Call it the "clock gene." That's the long and short of it. Literally. Whether you find it impossibly difficult to get up early in the morning or you just can't keep your eyes open after 9 p.m. is because of a gene called Period 3, which has been identified by researchers at Britain's University of Surrey.
Period 3, which helps to regulate our internal body clocks, comes in two sizes. A long one. And a short one. People who have an extreme preference for early mornings are more likely to have a long version of Period 3, while those who stay up until the wee hours of the morning are more likely to have the shorter version, reports the BBC News.
Of course, that's the simplistic explanation. Study leader Dr. Simon Archer is the first to admit that your preference for sleeping late or retiring early is a complex behavioral trait that is governed by more than a single gene. "It is a combination of genes that interact together to form your body clock," he explained to the BBC. "But, of course, there is an influence from your lifestyle. It is not all to do with your genetics. You can chose to follow a particular life pattern. You can override your genes."
The study: The University of Surrey researchers corralled some 500 people who visited London's Science Museum. In addition to taking DNA samples from their cheeks, the researchers asked them to complete questionnaires about their lifestyles to determine if they were larks or night owls. They did this by asking what time of day they preferred to exercise and how difficult they found it to wake up in the morning. Then they compared the DNA results--the length of that Period 3 clock gene--to the questionnaire answers.
The results: "We found most of the extreme morning preference people have the longer gene and the extreme evening preference people have the short gene," Archer told the BBC. "There are extreme morning people and extreme evening people, and it seems that behavior has a genetic basis to it."
There are practical advantages to obeying--instead of fighting--your natural body clock. With our 24/7 workplace, you might be able to better schedule your work time to fit your Period 3 clock gene. Opt for an early start and beat the rush or choose to begin work after noon and then stay there until all hours of the night.
The study findings were published in Sleep, the journal of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society.

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What a fucking crock! A gene because people are too goddamned lazy to get up and go to work in the morning and can't get to bed on time at night? That's the last thing this stupid world needs - "Yeah, boss, I won't be in until at least noon today, my Period 3 is acting up again, but don't forget that you still have to pay me from nine because now it's a disability!"

It's like blaming obesity on a virus. Like Denis Leary said, "Well, I'm not actually overeating. I'm trying to keep the virus at bay!"

God damn it.

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Originally Posted by Calliander

What a fucking crock! A gene because people are too goddamned lazy to get up and go to work in the morning and can't get to bed on time at night? That's the last thing this stupid world needs - "Yeah, boss, I won't be in until at least noon today, my Period 3 is acting up again, but don't forget that you still have to pay me from nine because now it's a disability!"

It's like blaming obesity on a virus. Like Denis Leary said, "Well, I'm not actually overeating. I'm trying to keep the virus at bay!"

God damn it.

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I don't see why you're angry about it. It's well established that people's circadian rhythms are biologically based - some people are more naturally night owls, morning people, etc., and those schedules have a tendency to shift as the person ages. I myself find it murder at times to get up at 7am, even if I've gone to bed at 10pm. But if I were to go to bed at 5am and wake up at noon, I'd feel fine.

But it's not a disability or anything - like the article says, you can override, it, it just won't feel as comfortable. In which case, nobody's making you get a job that starts at 9am.

3/4's of this board has the short version of it.

Seriously I get sick when I am on sleep schedule where i get up any time before 9 am. After a week I usually can't fall asleep at a reasonable hour, then I pull an all nighter and wind up screwing up my sleep schedule back the same pattern I had in high school. Which was sleep right after work, get up around 4 in the morning, maybe earlier, and go to school and hope to god its a day off from work.

Trust me Callinder, I've tried for years to correct this, but going to bed at a normal time, is just impossible for me. I can't sleep unless the sun is rising or its setting.

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Originally Posted by Calliander

What a fucking crock! A gene because people are too goddamned lazy to get up and go to work in the morning and can't get to bed on time at night? That's the last thing this stupid world needs - "Yeah, boss, I won't be in until at least noon today, my Period 3 is acting up again, but don't forget that you still have to pay me from nine because now it's a disability!"

It's like blaming obesity on a virus. Like Denis Leary said, "Well, I'm not actually overeating. I'm trying to keep the virus at bay!"

God damn it.

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It appears that you have the "overreacting like a silly bitch" gene.

:lol:

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Originally Posted by omfgninjas

It appears that you have the "overreacting like a silly bitch" gene.

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:eek:



... ouch!

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Originally Posted by youandwhosearmy

3/4's of this board has the short version of it.

Seriously I get sick when I am on sleep schedule where i get up any time before 9 am. After a week I usually can't fall asleep at a reasonable hour, then I pull an all nighter and wind up screwing up my sleep schedule back the same pattern I had in high school. Which was sleep right after work, get up around 4 in the morning, maybe earlier, and go to school and hope to god its a day off from work.

Trust me Callinder, I've tried for years to correct this, but going to bed at a normal time, is just impossible for me. I can't sleep unless the sun is rising or its setting.

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See, I used to do that stuff, then one day I had to start getting up and going to work on time and I just changed immediately. The downside to that, of course, is that now my friends bitch and moan that I don't stay up as late as them. But whatever.

I'm just worried that the people who DON'T have this condition will use it as an excuse to get crap they don't deserve, like all of these people who get diagnosed with ADD and whatnot.

There are night people and morning people. I personally dont like being up before 10am.

it just isnt a good time for me to function. I can do it, but I'd prefer not too.

I think you missed the point of the article. its not saying this is a disease or a virus or a syndrome, they just found that a gene corrisbonds with a behaviour that people have been aware of for years. Now we know that there is a gene that affectes it.

Its not a disability. any one who tries to use that as a defence should be fired for being late. and called a stupid head.

this is simply a behavioural affecting gene, nothing more. this is not add. this is like prefering dark chocolate over white or something.

Please stop freaking out about the possiblility of stupid people using this as something to sue about. There are enough idiots on the board that you may be giving them these ideas...

-2 or more actually, cents

I'm glad there's a genetic explanation as to why I can't eat anything when I get up in the morning because it makes me ill beyond belief.

I think this explains that.

Awesome.

"why don't you get a job?!" "lazy gene"

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Originally Posted by Calliander

:eek:



... ouch!



See, I used to do that stuff, then one day I had to start getting up and going to work on time and I just changed immediately. The downside to that, of course, is that now my friends bitch and moan that I don't stay up as late as them. But whatever.

I'm just worried that the people who DON'T have this condition will use it as an excuse to get crap they don't deserve, like all of these people who get diagnosed with ADD and whatnot.

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Hey I can understand that. But honestly, I know what I've done for myself, and I've functioned for months at a time, even years on a normal sleep schedule, but I know that it just isn't healthy for me.

Whether something's going on or not, I am always only able to do that for about a week before I start to gradually reset, then I have to stay up 24 hours to get myself back on track. One day of insanity of a week.