You can’t breed for Niven’s Teela Brown, of course, but I’d expect that you could breed for Wiseman-style luck.
For example, when I read The Luck Factor, I mused that the ‘lucky’ people were probably very high on the Big Five factor of Openness, which like most cognitive traits is partially heritable (40%%20-%20Genetic%20and%20Environmental%20Effects%20on%20Openness%20to%20Experience,%20Agreeableness,%20and%20Conscientiousness-%20An%20Adoption%3ATwin%20Study.pdf “‘Genetic and environmental effects on openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness: An adoption/twin study’, Bergeman et al 1993”) & 61% of variance, in the 2 studies I have handy), and I also thought some of it sounded like latent inhibition which I would also expect to be partially heritable.
Funny question from SF: Can you breed humans for luck?
In Larry Nivens ring world humans are bred for luck and this question is discussed here:
http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/12021-ringworld-can-you-breed-humans-for-luck.html
You can’t breed for Niven’s Teela Brown, of course, but I’d expect that you could breed for Wiseman-style luck.
For example, when I read The Luck Factor, I mused that the ‘lucky’ people were probably very high on the Big Five factor of Openness, which like most cognitive traits is partially heritable (40%%20-%20Genetic%20and%20Environmental%20Effects%20on%20Openness%20to%20Experience,%20Agreeableness,%20and%20Conscientiousness-%20An%20Adoption%3ATwin%20Study.pdf “‘Genetic and environmental effects on openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness: An adoption/twin study’, Bergeman et al 1993”) & 61% of variance, in the 2 studies I have handy), and I also thought some of it sounded like latent inhibition which I would also expect to be partially heritable.