Gluttony, lust and the other ‘deadly sins’ are seen as immoral, but are we hardwired to commit them? | Guy Leschziner

All those living in that house have a rare genetic disorder, Prader-Willi syndrome, which affects the region of the brain that controls appetite and hunger.

People with this condition are destined never to feel full, sometimes even eating non-food items in the search for satiety.

Even for those of us with healthy brains, however, there are factors beyond our control that influence that nature of who and what we are.

Guy Leschziner is a consultant neurologist at Guy’s and St Thomas ’ hospital trust.

He is the author of Seven Deadly Sins: The Biology of Being Human .

He asks: When do all these factors that shape the structure and function of our brains constitute a heavy burden to rob us of free will?.