Genome-wide analysis of social behaviour across social domains, reporters and developmental stages: a meta-regression approach

Abstract Social behaviour is a heritable trait linked to well-being and mental health, yet it varies across social context, including social domains, informants and development, which may shape its underlying genomic architecture. Here, we conducted a genome-wide meta-regression meta-analysis of social behaviour from infancy to early adulthood, studying ~500,000 repeated measures in European-ancestry cohorts ( N = 73,321). We modelled heterogeneity in single-variant associations across social domains (low prosocial behaviour and peer/social difficulties), multiple informants (parents, teachers and self-reports) and ages (2–29 years), identifying 6 associated loci, including variation within CADM2 ( P = 2.51 × 10 −9 ). Single nucleotide polymorphism-based heritability ranged from 2% to 7%, and the genetic architecture comprised 4 factors reflecting differences in either social domains or informants. Polygenic scores ( N = 16,305) accurately predicted contextual variation in independent cohorts, with some cross-ancestry transferability. Context-specific patterns of genetic correlations, particularly when estimating the developmental onset of associations, offer opportunities to disentangle shared trajectories linking social behaviour with later-life and mental health outcomes.

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Journal
Nature Human Behaviour
Published
2026-09-21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-026-02551-z
Primary Topic
Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
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article
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article

Genome-wide analysis of social behaviour across social domains, reporters and developmental stages: a meta-regression approach

Sylvain P Sebert, Jaakko A. Kaprio, Ted Reichborn‐Kjennerud, Eivind Ystrøm et al.
Nature Human Behaviour
Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
article

Genome-wide analysis of social behaviour across social domains, reporters and developmental stages: a meta-regression approach

Sylvain P Sebert, Jaakko A. Kaprio, Ted Reichborn‐Kjennerud, Eivind Ystrøm, Alina Rodriguez, Kaili Rimfeld, Klaus Bønnelykke, Tanja G. M. Vrijkotte, Robert J. Plomin, Tomáš Paus, Jan K. Buitelaar, Varun Warrier, Katri Räikkönen, Vincent W. V. Jaddoe, Andrew Whitehouse, Christine Ecker, Catharina Annette Hartman, Nicole Ying Ting Ng, Marta Ribasès, Henrik Larsson, Tarunveer S. Ahluwalia, Josep Antoni Ramos‐Quiroga, Sergi Marí, Zdenka Pausová, Jari M. T. Lahti, María Soler Artigas, Alexandra Havdahl, Albertine J. Oldehinkel, Ashley Tate, María Hernández‐Lorca, Ellen Verhoef, Sheena Reilly, Sheri‐Michelle Koopowitz, Jordi Sunyer, Paul Lichtenstein, Anni Heiskala, Charlotte A. M. Cecil, Hanna Seelemeyer, Rosa Bosch, Mariona Bustamante, Sven Bölte, Jean Shin, Melissa A Wake, Angelica Ronald, Angela Tamsin Morgan, Beaté St Pourcain, Marjo‐Riitta Järvelin, Marilyn T. Lake, Dan J. Stein, Henning W. Tiemeier, Marie Standl, Craig Edward Pennell, Dorret Irene Boomsma, Simon E. Fisher, Mannan Luo, Thomas Bourgeron, Melissa H. Black, José Ramón Bilbao, Christel Maria Middeldorp, Eero Vuoksimaa, Afsheen Kumar, Aimée Jeanne, N. Llonga, P. Girchenko, S. Alemany, T. Palviainen, K. Lange, N. Vilor-Tejedor, I. Nolte, C Wang, E. Corfield, L. de Hoyos, F. Schlag, D. Admiraal, E. Thiering, E. Eising, A. Neumann, E. Motazedi, S. van den Bedem, E. Barthome, Z. Liao, A. Allegrini, E. Rietz, C. Pedersen, E. de Zeeuw, N. Fernandez-Jimenez, M. Campbell, S. Jahagirdar, S. Scatolin, P. Choudhary, Anni Malmberg, Miguel Casas, Sabrina Llop, Thomas Rolland, L. Caitlin Martin
article en

Abstract

Abstract Social behaviour is a heritable trait linked to well-being and mental health, yet it varies across social context, including social domains, informants and development, which may shape its underlying genomic architecture. Here, we conducted a genome-wide meta-regression meta-analysis of social behaviour from infancy to early adulthood, studying ~500,000 repeated measures in European-ancestry cohorts ( N = 73,321). We modelled heterogeneity in single-variant associations across social domains (low prosocial behaviour and peer/social difficulties), multiple informants (parents, teachers and self-reports) and ages (2–29 years), identifying 6 associated loci, including variation within CADM2 ( P = 2.51 × 10 −9 ). Single nucleotide polymorphism-based heritability ranged from 2% to 7%, and the genetic architecture comprised 4 factors reflecting differences in either social domains or informants. Polygenic scores ( N = 16,305) accurately predicted contextual variation in independent cohorts, with some cross-ancestry transferability. Context-specific patterns of genetic correlations, particularly when estimating the developmental onset of associations, offer opportunities to disentangle shared trajectories linking social behaviour with later-life and mental health outcomes.

Nature Human Behaviour
Roskilde University (DK), Universitat Jaume I (ES), South African Medical Research Council (ZA), Goethe University Frankfurt (DE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (SG), Griffith University (AU), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ES), University of Copenhagen (DK), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Hospital Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona (ES), Royal Children's Hospital (AU), Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NO), University Medical Center Groningen (NL), University of Helsinki (FI), Steno Diabetes Centers (DK), Harvard University (US), Radboud University Nijmegen (NL), Institut Pasteur (FR), University of Cape Town (ZA), Universitat de València (ES), The University of Queensland (AU), The University of Melbourne (AU), National University of Singapore (SG), University of the Basque Country (ES), University of Groningen (NL), Universitat Pompeu Fabra (ES), The Kids Research Institute Australia (AU), The University of Western Australia (AU), King's College London (GB), Royal Holloway University of London (GB), University of Oslo (NO), La Trobe University (AU), University of Zurich (CH), Université Paris Cité (FR), Curtin University (AU), University of Cambridge (GB), Örebro University (SE), Oulu University Hospital (FI), Erasmus MC (NL), Glostrup Hospital (DK), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine (CA), Gentofte Hospital (DK), Radboud University Medical Center (NL), Karolinska Institutet (SE), University of Surrey (GB), Helmholtz Zentrum München (DE), LMU Klinikum (DE), University of Bristol (GB), German Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology (DE), Hunter Medical Research Institute (AU), Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics (NL), BioCruces Health research Institute (ES), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (ES), Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service (AU), Department of Health and Human Services (AU), Althaia (ES), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (ES), Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunitat Valenciana (ES), Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (ES), Lovisenberg Diakonale Høgskole (NO), Pasqual Maragall Foundation (ES), Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (ES), Centre de Recherche en Biologie cellulaire de Montpellier (FR), Gènes, synapses et cognition (FR), Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood (DK), Vall d'Hebron Hospital Universitari (ES), Fundació Salut i Envelliment UAB (ES), Hospital Del Mar (ES), University Hospital Frankfurt (DE), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (ES), Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FI), Stockholm Health Care Services (SE), Centre for Genomic Regulation (ES), Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Eastern and Southern Norway (NO), Arkin (NL), Karakter (NL), Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ES), Murdoch Children's Research Institute (AU), Reinier van Arkel (NL), Amsterdam University Medical Centers (NL), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (ES), Hospital del Mar Research Institute (ES), Melbourne Health (AU), Levvel (NL), Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen (DK), Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour (NL), CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center (CA), University College London (GB), Imperial College London (GB), Anglia Ruskin University (GB), Brunel University of London (GB), Université de Montréal (CA), Universitat de Barcelona (ES), University of Newcastle Australia (AU), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (DE), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL), University of Amsterdam (NL), Erasmus University Rotterdam (NL), University of Oulu (FI)
Government of the United Kingdom, European Commission, ZonMw, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme
Reduced inequalities
Openalex Percentile: Top 31%
Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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