My Genetic Test
I study polygenic prediction and genetic ancestry, so of course I had to test my own.
I took my genetic test in 2021, right around the time I became curious about sociogenomics. I ordered a kit from WeGene (not a sponsor!), mailed in some saliva, and got my results a few days later. Back then, I had no idea how to read them scientifically – I mostly treated them as entertainment and a conversation starter.
The results were … surprising. Genetically speaking, I was mostly “Northern Han,” despite being born in Zhejiang (south of Shanghai) and having grandparents who firmly insist they are “100% local Southerners”. The test also suggested I was genetically inclined to an early-to-bed, early-to-rise lifestyle – a claim my actual sleep schedule strongly disagrees with.
Today, with a better understanding of genetics, I take these results far less as objective truth and far more as a lesson in methodological humility. Genetic ancestry tests, despite the name, are based on genetic similarities to reference populations, which can produce odd results when the reference is imperfect. Polygenic predictions rely heavily on discoveries from European samples, which don’t travel well to people of non-European descent like me.
With my own genotype in hand, my long-term goal is simple: to someday compute polygenic scores for myself that actually make sense.
This page is a light-hearted side project -- part self-experiment, part cautionary tale -- about how genetic tests work in practice, complete with all their limitations, surprises, and occasional comedy.