The Cultural Content of Genetic Essentialism: How “Black Genes” and “White Genes” Shape Multiracial Perception in the United States

Polygenist ideas historically represented racial groups as having separate biological origins. The present research examines beliefs in specific race-linked genes (i.e., genes associated with racial groups), such as “Black genes” and “White genes,” as a content-bearing form of genetic racial essentialism (i.e., the belief that race reflects inherited genetic differences). Across two online surveys of U.S. adults (Studies 1a–1b; N = 440; predominantly White samples), approximately 41% of participants endorsed the existence of both “Black genes” and “White genes.” Participants also consistently characterized “Black genes” as more dominant than “White genes” and “White genes” as weaker than “Black genes.” In Study 2, an experiment with U.S. adults ( N = 320), Black–White multiracial targets described as having greater Black ancestry were perceived as possessing a higher proportion of “Black genes.” These estimates were associated with a greater likelihood of categorizing targets as Black. Dehumanization judgments showed a different pattern: The association between inferred genetic composition and dehumanization varied according to participants’ endorsement of “dominant Black genes,” becoming less differentiated as endorsement increased. Together, the findings identify race-linked gene beliefs as culturally recognizable but contested representations through which some individuals interpret racial ancestry and multiracial targets in the United States.