2024-03-21 07:25:36
“Betrayal is hereditary.” Research has proven that we carry it in our genes
Monica recently discovered that three of her relatives, all from the same side of the family, had been unfaithful to their husbands. She wondered whether infidelity ran in families and whether her genetic makeup might make her unfaithful to her husband, according to Madeline Fougere, professor of social psychology at Connecticut State University, to the Psychology Today website.
According to Fougere, when investigating whether behaviors are genetically linked in humans, researchers often study individuals who have varying degrees of genetic relationships such as monozygotic (MZ) or identical twins, and dizygotic (DZ) or fraternal twins, who have They share not only genes, but also the environment.
To clarify, MZ twins share 100 percent of their genes and are genetically identical, and DZ twins share about 50 percent of their genes on average, just like non-twin siblings.
Both types of twins raised together are assumed to share a common family environment, although the environment may be more similar for identical rather than fraternal twins, especially when the non-identical twins are of different sexes.
The first study to examine the link between infidelity and genetics
According to Fougere, one of the first studies to examine whether human infidelity is genetically linked was conducted by researcher Lynn Cherkas and her colleagues in 2004. These researchers studied more than 1,600 pairs of female twins and their responses to an anonymous survey assessing infidelity and attitudes toward infidelity.
Cherkas and her colleagues found that in identical twins (MZ), 21 percent of individuals reported being unfaithful to their partners, while in non-identical twins (DZ), 23 percent reported being unfaithful to their partners. These estimates are consistent with general population estimates of infidelity.
Concordance rates are defined as the “agreement” between twins’ behaviour. If both twins are faithful to their spouses or both twins are unfaithful to their spouses, then these twins show compatibility. When MZ twins show higher rates of concordance than DZ twins on traits or behaviors, researchers can conclude that those traits or behaviors are genetically influenced.
In Cherkas’s research, concordance rates were much higher for MZ twins (46 percent) than for DZ twins (32 percent), suggesting that identical twins are about one and a half times more likely to cheat.
If identical twins were more unfaithful than non-identical twins when adjusting for factors such as number of sexual partners and age, the researchers estimated that 41 percent of the variance in infidelity in this sample was due to genetic factors. In contrast, the shared environment in which the twins grew up did not contribute to the twins’ concordance rates, according to the researchers.
Furthermore, in this sample, the number of sexual partners had a heritability estimate of 38 percent, indicating that 38 percent of the variance in the number of sexual partners is attributable to heritability.
For number of sexual partners, shared environment also explained 13 percent of the variance. Attitudes toward infidelity had a heritability estimate of 0 percent, and all of the variation in attitudes toward infidelity appeared to be due to shared or unique environmental factors and none of the variation appeared to be related to heritability.
Cherkas and her colleagues noted that heritability estimates for infidelity were similar to estimates of genetic influences on blood pressure, migraines, and depression.
Genetic infidelity is higher in men than in women
Then, in 2015, Brendan Zetsche and his colleagues conducted similar research on a sample of more than 7,000 Finnish twins.
Although these individuals reported being committed to relationships for at least one year, 9.8 percent of men and 6.4 percent of women reported having two or more partners during the same year.
In this sample, concordance rates were again higher for identical twins (MZ), than for non-identical twins (DZ), suggesting genetic contributions to infidelity.
Furthermore, Zeitsch calculated heritability estimates of 63 percent for men and 40 percent for women, suggesting that up to 63 percent of the variance in infidelity for men was due to genetic factors. While the estimate for women was very close to Cherkas’ previous estimate, the estimate for men was much stronger than the heritability estimate for women, which may indicate a stronger genetic basis for infidelity in men versus women.
Although Cherkas and her colleagues attempted to evaluate which genes might be linked to unfaithful behavior, their analysis did not yield results linked to specific genes.
Interestingly, although the heritability estimate was higher for men, in Zitch, no links to specific genes were found for men and only weak links for women as in Cherkas.
The research found that genes associated with risk-taking or thrill-seeking may also be linked to the likelihood of infidelity.
The betrayal gene is based on the determination to increase offspring
But Garcia, Chercaso and their colleagues caution that genetic links to infidelity should not be taken as evidence of the existence of an “infidelity gene.”
Research has indicated that marital infidelity has a strong genetic link. All of the above authors assume that infidelity has a genetic basis because in our evolutionary history, it has been advantageous to pursue alternative partners in order to increase the number of offspring (particularly for men), provide diverse genes for offspring, or access additional resources for offspring.
Although these studies suggest a strong genetic basis for unfaithful behavior, they do not suggest that our behavior is entirely determined by our genes. Rather, they suggest that part of the variation in unfaithful behavior may be attributable to genetic influences.
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