The holidays are officially well-underway and so is the stress that comes with them...
While Thanksgiving has already come and gone as of the publishing of this post...
We're in the midst of the holiday shopping season, where everything seems more expensive than ever before (and therefore potentially more stressful than ever before).
CRI Genetics did our part to ease the pain by dropping prices for some of our most popular products and services during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday madness... And if you missed out, don't worry: There's always more around the corner.
But now, we'd like to help you get over some of the holiday gathering awkwardness...
You know, for when you're face-to-face with an aunt-in-law you've only met a handful of times, yet now are expected to be friendly and sociable with...
Or when your crazy uncle goes on a political conspiracy rant in front of your in-laws and you need a serious ice-breaking change-of-subject to ease the sudden palpable tension in the room...
Your DNA can play the role of Unexpected Hero to save the day (or at least the conversation).
Here are 5 ways your DNA can break the ice at any family gathering:
1) When in doubt, bring up your ancestry.
I admit it may feel a bit awkward to begin a conversation with "soooo, turns out I'm 42.7% German."
So don't!
Instead, start with "soooo, I took a DNA test."
While that may not seem like much of an improvement at first glance, I think you'll find it inspires positive reactions. More often than not, you'll be met with a response along the lines of "oh, I always wanted to try one of those."
Then when diving into the intricacies of your ancestry, be sure to focus on what your conversation partner does not know. If they're expecting you to be 42.7% German, make sure to start with with the surprises of your ancestry. Maybe 3.4% Japanese, perhaps?
You'll find your conversation partner much more interested. Suddenly, you're the center of attention instead of Aunt Jane's yearly doomsday predictions.
In the event that someone else starts talking ancestry before you and displays many of the common misconceptions regarding ancestry, seize your moment to set the record straight -- this brings me to the next ice-breaker on my list.
2) Debunk the ancestry misconceptions of others.
If you've been a CRI Genetics customer for a while, there's a good chance you know more about how DNA and genetic inheritance works than 98% of other people in the world...
So when you hear your cousin twice-removed proclaim "well my grandaddy Patrick Murphy was 100% Irish," you can chime in with the boldly factual rebuttal of "no human, ever, has been '100%' anything."
Not even "Patrick Murphy" of Ireland...
Every human who has ever lived had ancestors who came from somewhere else.
Then feel free to educate your now-captivated audience with a seminar on the random, uneven inheritance of DNA.
Need a refresher?
Check out this older blog post that debunks the Top 3 Ancestry DNA Testing Myths.
With that quick refresher course down, you'll even be able to explain why siblings could have different ancestry results.
3) Got kids now, on the way, or thinking about having some? Discuss the traits they may (have) inherit(ed).
Few things can captivate the living ancestors of children like imagining how those children will turn out...
This is typically an optimistic activity, prophesying that Little Jimmy may turn out to be an artist like his mom or Little Suzie may become an astrophysicist like her dad...
The genetic reports of you and your partner can lend weight to the discussion.
With the "Special Abilities" category of reports at CRI Genetics, you can find a number of cool traits that your children may or may not inherit...
If you and your partner both have a Mathematical Ability Report that predicts an "Enhanced Mathematical Ability" based on your DNA, then there's a good chance your child(ren) will inherit that trait.
And if you show an "Enhanced Reading Ability" on the Reading Ability Report, but your partner shows a "Normal Reading Ability"... Well then it's up for debate, so debate away! Conversation-starters is what we're here for, right?
4) Offered coffee at the the end of a big holiday meal? Time to bring up some of your Caffeine and/or Sleep reports...
Many of the reports in the "Energy" category work together to break down what your needs and sensitivities may be in regards to how energized you feel...
If your Caffeine Metabolism Report predicts you to metabolize caffeine slowly, you may want to avoid that late cup of joe to ensure you're able to sleep at night...
Or maybe you have "Fast Caffeine Metabolism" and "Low Caffeine Anxiety" (from the Caffeine Anxiety Report), so bring on the coffee!
Either way, you'll find plenty of interesting insights in your "Energy" category of CRI Genetics reports that you can turn to as a conversation-starter at your holiday events.
5) When all else fails, turn to your Nutrition or Metabolism reports.
One thing is for sure: Your holiday get-togethers are going to involve plenty of food, right?
Your CRI Genetics reports offer plenty of opportunities for food-related chitchat, especially in the Nutrition and Metabolism categories.
Use your "Low Efficiency" in absorbing Vitamin D as an excuse to drink more eggnog!
Use your "More Likely to Be a Picky Eater" result as an excuse to say "no, thank you" to your neighbor's deviled eggs.
Help yourself to more turkey or ham because your Protein Diet & Weight Loss Report predicts you to have "Increased Benefits From High Protein Intake."
Armed with knowledge from your DNA, the possibilities for conversation-starters are endless...
I hope I've inspired you to be this year's star at all your family gatherings...
And if you're a wallflower like me, who enjoys hiding in anonymity...
Well then just do what I do and hope there's enough holiday football on TV for you to pretend to be distracted. 😅
