Looking for Sunshine: Genetic Predisposition to Sun Seeking in 265,000 Individuals of European Ancestry

Abstract

Despite growing public awareness of the adverse consequences of excessive sun exposure, modifying sunseeking behavior is challenging because it appears to be driven by addictive mechanisms. This can have effects on health because sun exposure, although beneficial, when prolonged and repeated shows a causal relationship with skin cancer risk. Using data from 2,500 United Kingdom twins, we observed sun seeking to be significantly heritable (h2 ! 58%). In a GWAS meta-analysis of sun-seeking behavior in 261,915 subjects of European ancestry, we identified five GWAS-significant loci previously associated with addiction, behavioral and personality traits, cognitive function, and educational attainment and enriched for CNS gene expression: MIR2113 (P ¼ 2.08 Â 10 À11), FAM76B/MTMR2/CEP57 (P ¼ 3.70 Â 10 À9), CADM2 (P ¼ 9.36 Â 10 À9), TMEM182 (P ¼ 1.64 Â 10 À8), and PLCL1/LINC01923/SATB2 (P ¼ 3.93 Â 10 À8). These findings imply that the behavior concerning UV exposure is complicated by a genetic predisposition shared with neuropsychological traits. This should be taken into consideration when designing awareness campaigns and may help improve people's attitudes toward sun exposure.

Characteristics and common ultraviolet filter usage of sunscreens purchased online: Cross‐cultural analysis across 5 continents

“…This may be because the duration of summer in Europe is not long, and the season is not as sunny or sweltering as in Asia. In addition, tanning behavior has been reported to be commonplace in Europe 8–10 . Consistent with this, our study found that purchases of bronzer/tanning sunscreens were significantly higher in Europe than in the other regions.…”

“…In addition, tanning behavior has been reported to be commonplace in Europe. [8][9][10] Consistent with this, our study found that purchases of bronzer/tanning sunscreens were significantly higher in Europe than in the other regions. Furthermore, 31% of sunscreens in Europe were labeled reef-safe; this was the highest proportion of the continents…”

The skin we live in: pigmentation traits and tanning behaviour in British young adults, an observational and genetically-informed study

“…For instance, it has been reported that indoor tanning is associated with mental health problems 54 , physical activity and dietary practices 55 , and other risky behaviours 56, 57 . Moreover, a recent GWAS meta-analysis on sun-seeking behaviour 58 , adjusted for tanning ability and SEP, identified 5 loci related to behavioural traits, including addiction. In our study, additional factors included beliefs about tanning, which were unrelated to genetically-determined pigmentation traits (Supplementary Table 20), and parental education and SEP. Identifying the causes of indoor tanning behaviour warrants further investigation to inform policy and practice.…”

Genomics and epigenomics of addiction

“…The reduction of D2R levels can produce a decrease of feeling pleasure for usual incentives and a need to compensate for this deficiency, promoting a high risk for multiple addictive, impulsive, and compulsive behaviors overall drugs of abuse (Tsou et al, 2019). Hence, other polymorphisms in the dopamine system, such as the dopamine receptors genes for dopamine receptors type 2, 3, and 4 ( DRD2 , DRD3 , and DRD4 ), the dopamine transporter ( DAT1 ) gene, and enzymes involved in dopamine degradation (catechol‐ o ‐methyl‐transferase, [COMT]) have also a link with addiction and obesity and have been discussed in other review articles (Lindgren et al, 2017; Sanna et al, 2020; S. C. Wang, Chen, Lee, & Cheng, 2019).…”