How does Helix calculate your Risk Taking result?

Risk taking is a complicated behavior influenced by many factors, but the way we calculate your result based on genetics is pretty straightforward. At Helix, we use a single SNP, rs1549979, to inform you about your likelihood of being comfortable with risks.
Researchers identified this variant when they asked a bunch of people the following question: “Overall, do you feel comfortable or uncomfortable taking risks?”
When they compared the group of people who said “yes” to the group of people who said “no,” they found that having a T at rs1549979 was more common in the people that said “yes.” In contrast, having a C at this location was not. Therefore, if your genotype is TT or CT, it is slightly more likely that you are more comfortable taking risks.
This SNP was not the only one associated with risk taking. However, it is one of the strongest associations and it has been identified as a significant association repeatedly in very large cohorts. This does not mean the effect of this variant is large. In reality, this variant plays a very small role in your overall risk taking behavior.