"Nature vs Nurture and Decoding Your Child" with Danielle Dick, PhD

Danielle Dick, Ph.D. is a Professor of Psychology and Genetics. She is an internationally recognized and award-winning expert on genetic and environmental influences on human behavior. She has led and contributed to more than 20 grants from the National Institutes of Health, with grant funding totaling over 30 million dollars. She has more than 350 peer-reviewed publications in the areas of child development, addiction, mental health, genetics, and human behavior, and has won numerous national and international awards for her work. She has been named one of the most highly cited researchers in the world. Danielle is an author of THE CHILD CODE. In this conversation Danielle talks about how our genes and environment can influence our health and behavior. We talk about things like substance abuse, eating disorder, depression and other psychiatric conditions - is it individual's fault? Danielle says that "our brains are all wired very differently on the inside". When talking about addiction, Danielle explains that, interestingly, how our brains process reward appears to be more important than predisposition to specific substance. Emotion regulation is another big factor that influences addictive behaviors. We discuss anxiety, the role it plays, and the evolutionary advantage it was born from. Danielle concludes that genetic code we are born with is important, but it does not mean we are destined to have problems. Environment plays an important role and can make a huge difference. Finally, we discuss how this science translates in child care and parenting. Understanding your child's disposition is key for applying appropriate parenting strategies and nurturing a healthy family environment. Tune in to learn more! To learn more about Danielle's work:Website: DanielleDick.comBook: TheChildCode.comSocial Media: @DrDanielleDick on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn This podcast is brought to you by Emory Lifestyle Medicine & Wellness. To learn more about our work, please visithttps://bit.ly/EmoryLM