The Slut Gene
One Night Stand
Scientists have just discovered an "infidelity gene". So we can now try and blame promiscuity, cheating, indiscriminate sex, risk taking and thrill seeking behaviour all on our genetic code.
The "DRD4 gene" affects dopamine receptors in the brain, and it loves thrill seeking behaviour. It is activated with sky diving, gambling, sexual adventures, and all round risk - taking.
People with a certain variant of the gene might be predisposed to repetitive, intense sexual stimulation, sensation seeking, one night stands, and all 'round thrill seeking.
Some researchers have labelled DRD4 the "slut gene". But you can't blame everything on genetics - a little self control and environmental factors can be moderating factors.
DRD4 may even be involved with making you a political liberal. According to some scientific studies political ideology is up to fourty percent heredity. So who you vote for and who you lust for may be as much in your jeans ( and genes ) as in your head.
And if not - well, you might just be getting in touch with your inner cave person ! ( Or floozy )
The "DRD4 gene" affects dopamine receptors in the brain, and it loves thrill seeking behaviour. It is activated with sky diving, gambling, sexual adventures, and all round risk - taking.
People with a certain variant of the gene might be predisposed to repetitive, intense sexual stimulation, sensation seeking, one night stands, and all 'round thrill seeking.
Some researchers have labelled DRD4 the "slut gene". But you can't blame everything on genetics - a little self control and environmental factors can be moderating factors.
DRD4 may even be involved with making you a political liberal. According to some scientific studies political ideology is up to fourty percent heredity. So who you vote for and who you lust for may be as much in your jeans ( and genes ) as in your head.
And if not - well, you might just be getting in touch with your inner cave person ! ( Or floozy )
The infidelity study
Researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York (SUNY) have discovered that about half of all people have a gene that makes them more vulnerable to promiscuity and cheating.
Those with a certain variant of the DRD4 gene "were more likely to have a history of uncommitted sex.
The desire to cheat or sleep around seems to originate in the brain's pleasure and reward center, where the "rush" of dopamine motivates those who are vulnerable, the researchers say.
In the study, 181 student volunteers at SUNY took an anonymous survey on their previous sexual behavior, asking them questions like how many sex partners they had and if they had ever been unfaithful. Then their DNA was tested.
The results showed that there is a variation in the thrill-seeking gene and those with much longer alleles are more prone to getting prone. (An allele is part of the gene's DNA sequence responsible for different traits such as eye color or curly hair.)
Those with at least one 7-repeat allele reported a higher rate of promiscuity -- that is admitting to a "one-night stand." The same group had a 50 percent increase in instances of sexual cheating.
It turns out everyone has got the gene. But just as height varies, the amount of information in the gene varies. In those who have more, their alleles are longer and they are "taller" in the thrill - seeking department.
Those with a certain variant of the DRD4 gene "were more likely to have a history of uncommitted sex.
The desire to cheat or sleep around seems to originate in the brain's pleasure and reward center, where the "rush" of dopamine motivates those who are vulnerable, the researchers say.
In the study, 181 student volunteers at SUNY took an anonymous survey on their previous sexual behavior, asking them questions like how many sex partners they had and if they had ever been unfaithful. Then their DNA was tested.
The results showed that there is a variation in the thrill-seeking gene and those with much longer alleles are more prone to getting prone. (An allele is part of the gene's DNA sequence responsible for different traits such as eye color or curly hair.)
Those with at least one 7-repeat allele reported a higher rate of promiscuity -- that is admitting to a "one-night stand." The same group had a 50 percent increase in instances of sexual cheating.
It turns out everyone has got the gene. But just as height varies, the amount of information in the gene varies. In those who have more, their alleles are longer and they are "taller" in the thrill - seeking department.
Sexual ( and other ) thrill seeking is a hereditary trait
It's inheritable, too, the study shows. If your parents have it, you have it.
When the brain is stimulated -- drinking alcohol, jumping from planes, having sex -- it releases dopamine, the pleasure response hormone.
It's rewarding and makes us excited and gives us pleasure. But the people with the DRD4 gene need more stimuli to feel satiated. Some of say 'wow,' that was a rush after jumping out of a plane. Others ask, 'When is the plane going back up?'"
But not everyone is convinced a roving eye is rooted in DNA.
"Certain people are vulnerable to affairs, but in the end, it's about personal choice," said Jenn Berman, a psychotherapist and host of "The Love and Sex Show" on Cosmo Radio. "And it depends on how well-developed their impulse control is."
But the gene for risk also might have an evolutionary advantage, beyond producing more children. The gene evolved about 30,000 to 50,000 years ago when humans were moving out of Africa. Having some individuals who have wanderlust and want to see what's on the other side mountain is important for finding new places to live.
But it's also risk-taking. Sometimes, going to the other side of the mountain means that you cheat on your spouse, or something kills you. Possibly your spouse. There is a cost and a benefit to all genetic adaptation.
When the brain is stimulated -- drinking alcohol, jumping from planes, having sex -- it releases dopamine, the pleasure response hormone.
It's rewarding and makes us excited and gives us pleasure. But the people with the DRD4 gene need more stimuli to feel satiated. Some of say 'wow,' that was a rush after jumping out of a plane. Others ask, 'When is the plane going back up?'"
But not everyone is convinced a roving eye is rooted in DNA.
"Certain people are vulnerable to affairs, but in the end, it's about personal choice," said Jenn Berman, a psychotherapist and host of "The Love and Sex Show" on Cosmo Radio. "And it depends on how well-developed their impulse control is."
But the gene for risk also might have an evolutionary advantage, beyond producing more children. The gene evolved about 30,000 to 50,000 years ago when humans were moving out of Africa. Having some individuals who have wanderlust and want to see what's on the other side mountain is important for finding new places to live.
But it's also risk-taking. Sometimes, going to the other side of the mountain means that you cheat on your spouse, or something kills you. Possibly your spouse. There is a cost and a benefit to all genetic adaptation.
Not All Who Have The Gene Will Be Sluts or Cheaters
The study also strongly suggests that sex drive and thrill can function independently of love. A concept that men seem to grasp more easily than women, although women certainly are catching up, especially once they hit forty and the "cougar gene" activates.
Upbringing, experience and culture may actually wield more influence than the risk-taking gene, according to Susan Quilliam, a noted British psychologist and author of the updated " Joy of Sex."
"We are learning more and more about genes implicated in behaviors," she said. "Every time a genetic study comes out, responsible scientists also stress that we have choice -- nature and nurture," she said.
"Not everyone with the gene is promiscuous and not everyone who is promiscuous will have that gene."
And risk taking can sometimes be a good thing. Sometimes it overlaps with creativity, with entrepreneurship and wanting to push the boundaries," she said. "In relationships that can be exciting and fulfilling and help the whole couple move into new areas.
Upbringing, experience and culture may actually wield more influence than the risk-taking gene, according to Susan Quilliam, a noted British psychologist and author of the updated " Joy of Sex."
"We are learning more and more about genes implicated in behaviors," she said. "Every time a genetic study comes out, responsible scientists also stress that we have choice -- nature and nurture," she said.
"Not everyone with the gene is promiscuous and not everyone who is promiscuous will have that gene."
And risk taking can sometimes be a good thing. Sometimes it overlaps with creativity, with entrepreneurship and wanting to push the boundaries," she said. "In relationships that can be exciting and fulfilling and help the whole couple move into new areas.