People Who Won The "Genetic Lottery" Are Sharing What Makes Them So Great, And I'm Pretty Jealous
by Morgan Sloss · BuzzFeedA little while ago, we wrote up people who won the "genetic lottery."
Well, so many people from the BuzzFeed Community added theirs in the comments that we just had to share those, too:
1. "According to the genetic testing I’ve gone through, I don’t carry any genes for numerous illnesses, from kidney disease to Alzheimer’s to breast cancer to macular degeneration. So as long as my clinical depression doesn’t get me, I’ve got a long and healthy life to look forward to."
2. "I'm immune to HIV. I was part of a medical study for 15 years because of it."
3. "Blonde leg hair. I can go for months without shaving, and even then, it's difficult to see my leg hair unless you look really closely or the sun hits it just right."
4. "I don’t have wisdom teeth. I was born without any. Runs in my mom’s side of the family."
5. "I’m not allergic to poison ivy or poison oak. I can roll around in it and rub the leaves on my skin — no reaction."
6. "Out of the three pregnancies I've had, I have yet to develop a single stretch mark. I've gotten huge, especially with my second, and my skin just seems to adapt to it."
7. "This sounds kind of self-absorbed, but my eyes are just really pretty. I have blue eyes with a dark blue band on the outside and a yellow band on the inside. I’ve gotten compliments all my life. I don’t really care for the majority of my appearance, but I love my eyes."
8. "Abundant hair that grows extremely fast. The bad side is, because my hair grows ridiculously fast, I need to re-dye it every month because it started graying when I was 15, and I'm just 33."
9. "I don’t get hangovers, no matter how drunk I get."
10. "I’m a 37-year-old woman, and I’ve never grown hair in my armpits. When I was going through puberty, my older sister would insist I would grow it eventually, but it never happened. I wish I knew why, just out of curiosity."
11. "I’ve made it to 38 with no wrinkles. Not even crow's feet or eye crinkles. But I had incredibly oily skin as a teen."
12. "My teeth. I'm 53 years old and have never had a cavity. I don't do anything special. I rarely floss. But my dentist said if I haven't had a cavity yet, chances are I never will."
13. "I’m a 30-year-old woman and have never gotten a UTI or yeast infection, and I’m really hoping it stays that way, LOL."
14. "I’ve got tons of longevity: maternal grandmother died at 102, paternal at 100. Fingers crossed!"
15. "My brother and I are lucky that our eyes don’t water when slicing onions."
16. "I am a white woman with fairly light skin. I live in the South and never sunburn. I can be on the lake all day or float the river with no sunscreen. I barely tan. My siblings turn red in 20 minutes."
17. "I have a gene variant that makes me not have body odor or wet earwax."
18. "I am 62 and don't look a day over mid-forties. My parents both looked much younger than their ages. My kids — both in their mid-thirties — look like they are in their mid-twenties. I have one grey streak in my hair. Sometimes, people think my spouse is my father."
19. And finally, "I only need less than four hours of sleep at night. I literally cannot sleep more than that. No naps, never tired, never use my alarm, and I ingest zero caffeine. It’s been this way since I was about 17. Usually, I go to bed around 3 a.m. and wake up by 7. There’s a name for people who don’t sleep much, but I’m extreme even for them. You get a lot more stuff done!"
Have you "won the genetic lottery" in any way? LMK in the comments below!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.