The Connection Between Twins - Research Paper Example

The Connection Between Twins Rather it is a result of time spent in the womb, or a simple fact of growing up at the same time and rate, twins have long had an indescribable bond between them that have baffled the general public and health professional years. Simply put, twins can be either identical or fraternal. The reality is, however, that the connections between twins has little to do with how much, or how little, they look like one another. It goes far beyond physical appearance. Twins in different geographic locations have claimed to feel pain at the exact moment that a painful experience happens to their sibling. Young twins have reported separation anxiety when they are away from their sibling. Medical professionals have attributed this to the fact that twins share the same umbilical cord between them for nine month in the womb, so they are wary to be separated even after birth. Proof of this is still in debate, yet twins often report that this is the case. There are numerous other incidences and reports of a connection between twins that simply does not exist between other siblings. The evidence is so compelling that it warrants attention, as opposed to simple dismissal. This essay will explore the issue of twins in depth and will seem to determine rather or not the concept of a twin connection is based on a myth or on a reality. We know and understand that twins are the result of two humans being born in the same birth. While some may think that twin births are not all that common, it should be noted that in the United States, almost 35 out of every 1,000 births results in twins, and this figure is increasing by the decade. In some geographic locations around the world, the twin birth rate is even higher, up to 60 sets per 1,000 births, leading many medical experts to believe that diet has a role to play in the statistical likelihood of having twins (Isaacs 171). It should also be noted that twins are usually not carried to full term, with the average set being born 3 weeks earlier than the average single child birth. This does not, however, indicate a higher likelihood for birth defects or other ailments that result from a premature birth, but siblings born as twins are generally under the careful watch of a physician for a bit longer after birth than their single birth counterparts. This could also lend credence to the tight bond that most twins seem to exhibit. Because they are literally inseparable in the womb, and they are carefully watched together after birth, they spend quite a bit of time together in their early stages of development. While the identical twins occur in less than one out of every 200 births, the prospect of having identical twins horrifies and excites prospective parents at the same time. Many refer to such children as double the trouble and double the pleasure (Issacs 171). Parents of these types of twins will often try to separate them in order to give them more of a sense of normalcy. They do this by trying to socialize them with different sets of friends, sending them to different daycares, and often sending them to different schools whenever possible. Many reports, however, indicate that this only serves to strengthen the bond between the twins (Baker 220). While adults working with identical twins often encounter much confusion and difficulty in determine who is who, they report fewer behavioral problems with siblings that are the same age, as opposed to when they are even one year apart. Parents have related swapping toys with their twins in order to ensure equality, only to find that the siblings switch them back on their own. They tend to play better with each other than with their friends from an early age. This interaction remains into adulthood where studies reveal that twins remain much closer emotionally to one another in adulthood than comparable siblings who are of a different age. This would tend to credence to the idea that both types of twins are connected by something stronger than just a sharing of genes. Many believe that they are connected emotionally and intellectual, such that they can feel the emotions of their siblings even if they are geographically separated. This phenomenon is referred to as the Twin Connection. The Twin Connection refers to the belief, or idea, that twins feel a special bond between themselves, no matter the distance geographically between them. This can be an emotional or physical bond. For example, some twins have reported that when their sibling experiences physical pain, they have felt something as well, even when they are thousands of miles away. There have also been reports that one sibling will have a premonition that something is happening or has already occurred to their sibling. Upon further inquiry, they discover that these feelings are validated. This explains the concept behind the twin connection, but one must consider whether this idea is based on reality, or if it is based on myth or coincidence. From a personal experience point of view, it certainly seems that there might be some validity to the idea of a special connection between twins. Twins worldwide have recorded their experiences and have shared various events in their lives that demonstrate a special bond with their sibling that does not exist with others. Many of these instances, appear to be coincidental and could be reported by other siblings, or even close friends as well. Twins, for example, allude to the fact that they will be thinking of their brother or sister and, as they are thinking, the telephone would ring. Their sibling was calling them at the very moment that they were thinking of each other. This, many claim is evidence of the twin connection. The problem with this line of thinking, however, is that numerous people have made these same claims, and they are not twins. This is not, therefore, medical evidence that proves the existence of such a Twin Connection. We know that twins are often incredibly close to one another. This has been established. Friends, family, and spouses have each remarked how incredible of a bond there is between either identical or fraternal twins. While this evidence is compelling, it cannot discount other siblings that are equally as close, even though they are not twins. We will deal with that in a moment. Much of the evidence for the Twin Connection comes from twins themselves. It is helpful, however, to consider other interested parties and hear their opinions on the subject as well in an effort to truly understand this phenomenon. Spouses of twins have reported the mood of their partner can quickly change. They then call their twin sibling only to discover that something terrible has happened. This is similar to the account given by twins themselves, however, so skeptics remain. The fact is that there appears to be little medical, or scientific evidence, to support the notion of a twin connection. Equally important, however, is that there is not compelling evidence in existence that denies its existence either. There is a special connection between twins. Reports have one twin going into the hospital, and then the other twin feeling distant and emotionally upset for the duration of the hospital stay. The interesting fact here is that this feeling could exist regardless of the location of the twin that is not in the hospital. Again, however, many would argue that this is same emotion felt by other close siblings, or even friends, and cannot be attributed to an emotion or experience only seen in twins. The one area where a medical connection between twins might exist lies in epigentics. According to Coolen (2012), “Epigenetics is the study of changes in gene expression that are not caused by changes in the DNA sequence” (28). This is particularly interesting given the fact the identical twins have essentially the same DNA sequence, but the way in which they use their respective DNA can differ dramatically. For twin, this is area of study is important because their respective gene patterns can indicate certain tendencies not otherwise explained by DNA. This could potentially account for the similar behavior that twins exhibit, even well into adulthood and spanning thousands of miles. To draw a definitive distinction between epigenetics and the Twin Connection, however, has eluded scientists to this point as they continue to conduct studies to uncover more solid information. Part of this science involves the notion that identical twins gradually grow different over time. As Coolen notes, “Somehow identical twins become increasingly different over time, with subtle differences in their personalities, how they look, how they acts, and even in their susceptibility to getting a certain disease, such as autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, epilepsy and diabetes” (p. 26). Since these changes occur gradually occur over time, it would seem to indicate that the existence of similar bonds that might exist in childhood would not exist into adulthood as the DNA structure of each individual becomes altered and other medical effects are encountered as well. Studies conducted in this area were quite thorough. In Coolen’s study alone, 512 twins were examined in their adolescence. It was discovered that, overwhelmingly, the DNA and gene profiles had already changed significantly by the teenage years. If part of the notion of the twin connection comes from the connectedness that twins feel from birth, then studies such as this one seem to prove that the theory is based more on a myth than a reality. Labeling the twin connection a myth might be a bit unfair since twins believe so strongly in their connectedness. One cannot discount personal experiences and strong emotions without first examining all pieces of evidence. Reality is, however, that there truly seems to be little scientific evidence to support the theory. As this essay has presented, there are numerous reasons to believe in the Twin Connection idea. Such siblings live through similar events, are in the same environment, and maintain close bonds throughout much of their life. This, however, cannot be considered as proof when applied the scientific method or other similar principles designed to test the validity of a theory. When testing a theory such as this one, one must consider the alternative. In this case, supporting the twin connection in its entirely would me discounting the connection that siblings who are not twins feel as well. One could argue, equally as strong, that emotionally tight friends experience the same effect. They seem to be on the same ‘wavelength’ with one another, it could be said. With this in mind, one would need to have medical evidence, or scientific proof, to support the claim of a Twin Connection. As of now, it appears that such evidence is simply not in existence. A recommendation would be to conduct further studies in this area. Medically, the genes and DNA of both identical and fraternal twins could be studied to determine how they are different that other blood related siblings. These differences can then be used to study a possible emotional connection between twins that does not exist between other individuals. In addition, more in depth studies could be conducted which follows sets of twins for a period of years, in addition to sets of other siblings. The effort here would be to see if there is a plausible and statistically significant link between emotions felt on the part of twins that does not exist with other siblings. Until such studies are conducted, one must conclude that the Twin Connection theory is a myth. Works Cited Baker, Laura. “Genetic and Environmental Bases of Childhood Antisocial Behavior: A Multi- Informant Twin Study.” Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 116.2 (2007): 219-235. Coolen, Marcel. “Identical Genes, Individual Twins.” Australasian Science, 33.3 (2012): 26-28. Isaacs, D. “Twins.” Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health, 45.4 (2009): 171. Read More