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The God gene hypothesis proposes that human spirituality is influenced by heredity and that a specific gene, called vesicular monoamine transporter 2 , predisposes humans towards spiritual or mystic experiences. The idea has been proposed by geneticist Dean Hamer in the 2004 book called The God Gene: How Faith is Hardwired into our Genes.
The God gene hypothesis is based on a combination of behavioral genetic, neurobiological and psychological studies. The major arguments of the hypothesis are: spirituality can be quantified by psychometric measurements; the underlying tendency to spirituality is partially heritable; part of this heritability can be attributed to the gene VMAT2; this gene acts by altering monoamine levels; and spirituality provides an evolutionary advantage by providing individuals with an innate sense of optimism.