A genetic variant called the "explorer" gene, more common in populations that migrated far from Africa, boosts dopamine response to novelty. This drives both the urge to explore and the ability to handle stress in unfamiliar situations.
There's this genetic advantage in extreme environments. Maybe you could elaborate on how these genetic factors play a role in everyday challenges and stress resilience.
There is some very interesting research on the kind of genetic underpinnings of this desire to expand, even like you said, even when we have resources where we are, even if we're reasonably comfortable. And this is not new. This is not just we're going to go to Mars even though we have Earth. It's also we're doing fine in Africa, Near East, but we're still going to expand and go to Easter Island and go to the Antarctic and go to Australia. So that's been a hallmark of the human species of trying to explore. And you can see the echoes of that in the genes we have that respond to novelty. And the farther a population moved away from our origins, in the southern tip of South America, people there have a higher percentage of this explorer's gene variant that gives you a bigger shot of dopamine, basically, in response to new or unfamiliar things. And so that makes you interested in exploring the unknown, but it also helps you cope with times of change. It helps you deal with the stress. Going into the unknown can be stressful. It's not just wanting to go there, it's being able to thrive once you're in in a situation of uncertainty.
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