Would you be the same person if you'd grown up in different surroundings?
如果你在不同的环境中长大，你会是同一个人吗？
How might you be different if you'd grown up in an urban versus a rural environment, or in a different country altogether?
如果你在城市而不是农村环境中长大，或者完全在不同的国家，你可能会有何不同？
This is the age-old nature-nurture debate that has had people pondering for many years.
这是古老的天性还是教养的辩论，让人们思考了许多年。
Is your personality written in your genes or shaped by your experience?
你的个性是写在基因里，还是由经历塑造？
Most experts agree that it is a combination of both.
大多数专家认为这是两者的结合。
Let's hear about ways this can be put to the test.
我们来听听有哪些方法可以检验这一点。
A common way is to study twin pairs, because if personality came only from genes, you might expect identical twins to have the same, or a very similar, personality.
一种常见的方法是研究双胞胎，因为如果个性只来自基因，你可能会认为同卵双胞胎具有相同或非常相似的个性。
Research called 'Meta-analysis of the heritability of human traits based on fifty years of twin studies' looked at 14 million twin pairs in 39 countries.
一项名为“基于五十年双胞胎研究的人类特征遗传力的元分析”的研究考察了39个国家的1400万对双胞胎。
Do identical twins, who share almost identical DNA, have more similar personalities than non-identical twins, who share about half?
拥有几乎相同DNA的同卵双胞胎，其个性是否比共享大约一半DNA的异卵双胞胎更相似？
By comparing the two, the authors concluded that about 50% of the differences between people can be explained by genetic factors, meaning that our genes play a significant role in shaping who we are, but our environment and experiences are just as important.
通过比较两者，作者得出结论，人与人之间约50%的差异可以用遗传因素解释，这意味着我们的基因在塑造我们是谁方面起着重要作用，但我们的环境和经历同样重要。
Other studies looked to see whether personality traits were more prevalent in certain geographical regions than in others.
其他研究着眼于某些地理区域的个性特征是否比其他区域更普遍。
For example, in a 2015 study called 'Regional Personality Differences in Great Britain', researchers investigated how the 'Big Five' personality traits, which include extraversion, openness and agreeableness, were geographically distributed.
例如，在一项2015年名为“英国地区个性差异”的研究中，研究人员调查了“大五”个性特征（包括外向性、开放性和宜人性）的地理分布。
They found there were areas where each trait was more prevalent.
他们发现有些区域每个特征更为普遍。
For example, agreeableness, which is about friendliness and trust, was more prevalent in the Scottish Highlands and Northern England – more rural areas with lower population densities.
例如，宜人性（关于友好和信任）在苏格兰高地和英格兰北部——人口密度较低的农村地区更为普遍。
Whereas openness, which is associated with curiosity and intellect, was more prevalent in urban, densely populated areas like London, Manchester and Brighton, suggesting that a person's environment can help to foster various traits.
而开放性（与好奇心和智慧相关）在伦敦、曼彻斯特和布莱顿等人口密集的城市地区更为普遍，这表明一个人的环境有助于培养各种特质。
While our DNA provides a starting point, it is only part of the jigsaw puzzle that makes our personality.
虽然我们的DNA提供了起点，但它只是拼凑我们个性拼图的一部分。
As we go through life, we encounter obstacles, we make mistakes, and we learn what we enjoy through experience – all of which can change how we interact with the world.
在我们的一生中，我们遇到障碍，犯错误，并通过经验了解自己喜欢什么——所有这些都可以改变我们与世界互动的方式。
