Flowers and children may have a great deal in common. A new genetic hypothesis argues that while most of us are born dandelions – hardy and resilient – some children are more like orchids: needing special care to survive, but capable of rewarding you with spectacular blooms.

Though they were born about 15 years apart, David*, the eldest of five siblings, and his youngest brother, Harry, shared many of the same personality traits as children. Both were bright, determined and curious about the world.

By the time they were adults, however, their paths had diverged dramatically.

David had taken over the family business, turned it into a huge success, married a loving and supportive partner, and had a large family of his own.

Harry graduated university and went onto have a brilliant start to a career in finance. But the pressure of work and the death of his father in his twenties took its toll, and he started experimenting with alcohol and drugs.

In his thirties, he suffered a nervous breakdown and was diagnosed with bipolar depression. He married late, never had children and has cut ties with his family.

“They went to the same schools, they played the same games, had the same opportunities, and were equally adored by our parents,” says their sister Sarah.

“The single significant difference in their upbringing was that my parents’ business started to take off when Harry was a child, so they weren’t around as much.”

The vulnerability hypothesis
Researchers have known for some time that genetics can play a large part in determining future behaviours. Specific genes can increase a person’s susceptibility to depression, anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and antisocial, sociopathic, or violent behaviors – a phenomenon called ‘the vulnerability hypothesis’.

But why is it that two children born into the same genetic mix can grow up to be so different?

Dandelions and Orchids
An exciting new theory suggests that some children, like David, are born ‘dandelions’ – they are tough, resilient and will thrive in almost any environment. Others, like Harry, are ‘orchids’ – fragile and fickle, they are capable of blooming spectacularly in the right environment, but will wilt and suffer if they are neglected.

This theory turns the vulnerability hypothesis on its head, suggesting that the same genes that predispose people to a whole host of behavioural and psychiatric problems, are the very ones which create some of society’s most creative and happiest people.

Researchers now believe some people – orchids – simply have a heightened genetic sensitivity to every experience, positive or negative.

This notion first raised in an article entitled “Biological Sensitivity to Context”, by the American psychologist Bruce Ellis, and developmental pediatrician W. Thomas Boyce.

“When kids with this kind of vulnerability are put in the right setting, they don’t merely do better than before, they do the best,” Boyce says.

“Risk becomes possibility”
Their theory is not simply an extension of the notion that environment and experience can shape personality and behaviour, it’s something much more significant, argued science writer David Dobbs, in a recent article in The Atlantic Monthly magazine.

“It’s actually a completely new way to think about genetics and human behavior. Risk becomes possibility; vulnerability becomes plasticity and responsiveness,” Dobbs writes.

The notion that children who suffer most from the wrong environment, may also benefit most from the right one, offers new hope and possibilities parents, grandparents, teachers and carers – as well, of course, as the children themselves.

* some names have been changed