This Twin Study is Bullshit

As any decent personal trainer will tell you, the choice to exercise is all about will-power, but in a blow to the concept of free will, there's an item in the NYTimes claiming that it's your genes that decide whether or not you choose to exercise.  The research came to this conclusion by doing a twin study, comparing the exercise habits of identical twins with the exercise habits of fraternal twins.  They found that the identical twins were far more likely to "share an exercise pattern", leading them to assume that genetics are playing a major part.

It's not a tumor, it's just Danny Devito.

What researchers fail to consider is that, when it comes to this type of choice, sharing 100% of your genes with someone can change the whole context of your environment - maybe it's not the physiological (genetic) effects of shared genes, but the sociological (environmental) effect of living next to a human measuring stick, an embodiment that sets your standards.

People love making excuses about why its OK for them to be out of shape.  A lot of morbidly obese people shrug off responsibility by saying "It's genetic".  Well, if you're swaddled in rolls of fat, and your identical twin has a ripped six-pack, you can't say "it's genetic", you can only say "it's pathetic."

Having an identical twin who's in better shape than you is like being a human "Before" photo, and before photos are always a disgrace.  Living next to that better version of yourself displays all of your failings in stark contrast - not just your physical defects, but also your total lack of will power.

 If you're the twin on the left, your only options are to get your ass in shape or move to the other end of the country.

Meanwhile, having a doppelganger who's fat and lazy gives you an easy way out, an excuse for having low standards.  Like the researchers who did this study, you can just say "It's genetic".

You know for a fact these two liked to say they were "born this way".  If that's the case, I'd like to see their mother.  Wait a minute, I take that back.  lolz.