The extent to which our development is affected by nature or nurture  may differ depending on where we live, according to new research.

Research funded by the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust and conducted at King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry found that genetic and environmental contributions to our development vary geographically in the United Kingdom.

They studied data from over 6,700 families relating to 45 childhood characteristics, such as IQ, hyperactivity, height and weight. The geographical variations have been published online as a series of nature-nurture maps, showing which parts of the country are developed by nature, and which are developed by nurture.

Dr Oliver Davis, a Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellow at King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry said: ”These days we’re used to the idea that it’s not a question of nature or nurture; everything, including our behaviour, is a little of both.

“But when we saw the maps, the first thing that struck us was how much the balance of genes and environments can vary from region to region.”