By Aaron Miller-
The tendency to cheat on one’s partner is genetic for many people, though this does not provide a get away clause, researchers have found. SUNY Doctoral Diversity Fellow and lead investigator, Justin Garcia, explored genetic influences to infidelity by recruiting 181 young adults to inquire about their sexual behaviours, as well as to submit a DNA sample which would be tested in order to determine the variation of DRD4 in their DNA.
The study undertaken in the laboratory of evolutionary anthropology and health at Binghamton University, State University of New York, took a broad look at sexual behavior, matching choices with genes , and came up with a new theory on what makes humans ‘tick’ when it comes to sexual activity.
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It may help to know that the more partners your partner’s parents had or the more sexually active they were before their offspring was conceived, the more likely they are to cheat. As a precautionary rule, every rule has exceptions. Sexual cravings have its roots in DRD4
The research is instrumental in helping understand sexual behaviour in humans who are promiscuous, bearing in mind that levels of promiscuity vary among offenders worldwide. The notion of the tendency to cheat being highly genetic is one worth noting, as the loyal parent of a serial cheating partner can take particular steps to encourage their offspring to resist the urge to cheat by highlighting the sexual risks and moral dangers of cheating.
According to the team’s findings published in the journal “PLOS One,” everyone has DRD4, but the more a person has, the more prone they are to thrill-seeking. In other words, the “thrill” associated with cheating can draw one closer to it because of its genetic characteristics.
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Although humans are naturally drawn to activities that make them feel pleasure, according to Garcia, people who possess this certain DRD4 gene require more than the average person.
“People with the DRD4 gene need more stimuli to feel satiated,” Garcia said. “Some say ‘wow,’ that was a rush after jumping out of a plane. Others ask, ‘When is the plane going back up?'”
Individuals who are predisposed to a high thrill gene do not necessarily need to act on their impulses. Negative genetic tendencies can be controlled, but it takes more effort to those that don’t have that tendency.
Couples address cheating concerns Image:psycholgytoday.com
Statistics reveal that 30-60% of all married people in the United States cheat at some point in their marriages, and 2% to 3% of all children are the product of infidelity.
‘We already know that while many people experience sexual activity, the circumstances, meaning and behavior is different for each person,” said Garcia. “Some will experience sex with committed romantic partners, others in uncommitted one-night stands.
Many will experience multiple types of sexual relationships, some even occurring at the same time, while others will exchange sex for resources or money.
“What we found was that individuals with a certain variant of the DRD4 gene were more likely to have a history of uncommitted sex lives including one-night stands and acts of infidelity,” Garcia told The Eye Of Media.Com.
“The motivation seems to stem from a system of pleasure and reward, which is where the release of dopamine comes in. In cases of uncommitted sex, the risks are high, the rewards substantial and the motivation variable — all elements that ensure a dopamine ‘rush.
”Individuals could be looking for a serious committed long-term relationship, but have a history of one-night stands. At the same time, the data also suggests it is also reasonable that someone could be wildly in love with their partner, commit infidelity, and yet still be deeply attached and care for their partner. It all came back to a DRD4 variation in these individuals. Individual differences in the internal drive for a dopamine ‘rush’ can function independently from the drive for commitment.
“The study doesn’t provide excuses for transgressors ,” said Garcia. “These relationships are associative, which means that not everyone with this genotype will have one-night stands or commit infidelity.
Researchers say there are many people without this genotype who still indulge in one-night stands and commit infidelity. The study merely suggests that a much higher proportion of those with this genetic type are likely to engage in these behaviors.”
Brendan Zietsch, an Australian psychologist, has also examined the question of whether genetics can predispose someone to cheating. In other words, is the likelihood of cheating programmed into someone’s DNA?
Zietsch analyzed data from 7,378 Finnish study participants: some were siblings, while some were twins. The one factor they all had in common is they had been in a monogamous relationship for at least one year.
Twin- fraternal and identical- are often used to help scientists determine whether or not a trait is inheritable. Identical twins are particularly useful in this case, since their DNA is 100% similar. So if there are differences, it can be assumed that they are due to environmental factors.
At the heart of the study is that many traits we have are inherited from our parents and lineage, and the tendency to cheat or be promiscuous is no exception..
Another study of the heritability of extramarital sex behaviour in over 7000 twins of both genders concluded that genetic heritability accounts for 62% of such behaviour in men and 40% in women.
The gene has a tandem repeat, meaning a small fragment of DNA that can be repeated numerous times in a row. How many of these repeats are present inside the gene can vary from person to person, with potentially dramatic impact on individual’s behaviour as a consequence.
In the case of the DRD4 gene, typically there are 2 to 11 such repeats in different people. Those who have at least 7 such repeats (7R+) show reduced receptor binding for dopamine neurotransmitter and are more predisposed to sensation-seeking, disinhibition, impulsivity, and sexual behavior.
The authors of that study showed that individuals with 7R+ are more likely to engage in promiscuous sexual behavior and demonstrate more than 50% increase of sexual infidelity compared to those individuals with a shorter number of repeats in the DRD4 gene.
Extramarital Sexual Habits Connect To Genes
The same study mentioned that estimated heritability of extramarital sex in men and women has also linked this behaviour in women only to the AVPR1A gene, responsible for the construction of the arginine vasopressin receptor. Arginine vasopressin is a hormone that has previously been linked to differences in social behaviour, including variations in pair-bonding quality in couples. As such, we discussed vasopressin extensively in our past article on the genetics of love.
The behavioral outcomes examined are probabilistic and by no means deterministic.” This means that the above-mentioned genetics might increase the probability of certain risky behaviour, but does not guarantee such behaviour.
However, there might be something to the adage of, “once a cheater, always a cheater”. Not long ago, a first-of-its-kind study came out assessing the propensity of being a serial cheater. This study showed that those who reported engaging in sex on the side while being in their first relationship were three times more likely to do so again in their next relationship compared to those who did not report engaging in infidelity in their first relationship.
Joking aside, scientific literature does also offer some hints towards nurturing fidelity. Gentlemen, you know how you get instantly scolded by your partner if you even dare to venture a passing glance at another woman? One study showed that individuals who disengaged attention from attractive alternatives 100 milliseconds faster (that’s 0.1 second! Seriously?) were 50% less likely to cheat.
According to another study , the longer individuals look at the opposite sex whilst in the company of their partner, the more likely they are to cheat in theory. Emphasis of this theory being based on probability is re-iterated since there can be more than one reason some casts a relatively longer stare at the opposite sex when with their partner. They could for example recognise the person they are staring at, or feel it is a familiar face. But when the long stare is a physical admiration, it could be a longing for a bit of naughty action.
Another perspective given was that individuals who disengage in looking at people of the other sex are either less likely to cheat or don’t find them as attractive as their partner.
Behavioral outcomes from broad research suggests that the tendency to cheat can be genetic, but state that even those tendencies are more probabilistic, rather than deterministic.”
This means that the above-mentioned genetics might increase the probability of certain risky behaviour, but does not guarantee such behaviour. However, there might be something to the adage of, “once a cheater, always a cheater”.
Genetic Connection To Offspring
The first study of its kind revealed that children of people who have indulged in promiscuity are more likely to be sexually active cheats than those who are born to loyal parents who did not engage in infidelity.
Children of parents who engage in sex on the side while being in their first relationship were three times more likely to do so again in their next relationship compared to those who did not report engaging in infidelity in their first relationship.
It is always useful for people to be conscious of the fact that their sex habits can often influence the habits their children pick up, and can potentially become problematic for future parents, on of the reasons many girls who become pregnant at a very young age produce children who continue the cycle and repeat the behaviour.
Being conscious of the genetic pattern can often help break the pattern.
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