Tuesday, 25 June 2013

Infidelity is affected by genes but can be overcome

Infidelity is one of the main reasons for the divorce and thus one of the most painful topics. Recently researches have discovered an infidelity gene, and according to them there are two groups of people: those who posses it, and those who do not.

Professor Hasse Walum, a biologist at Karolinksa University in Sweden, believes that some men have a gene that affects their fidelity. Their families more often experience marriage related problems, and  their wives rarely feel happy. However, the influence of the gene is not powerful enough to forecast how a couple's relationship will be developing during their marriage. Genetics only determine our inclinations but we are in charge of our decisions. Scientific study has proven that resisting flirtation in many ways is similar to giving up a piece of a chocolate cake.


Another study by John Lydon, a psychologist at McGill University in Montreal, suggests that the brain can be trained to resist temptation. During the study men and women in highly committed relationships were shown a series of photos and were asked to rate the attractiveness of people in the photos. After a period of time the couples were presented with the same photos again. This time they were told that the person in the picture was interested in meeting them. The participants consistently gave lower scores to those who were said to show interest in meeting them that they gave them for the first time around. This proves a phenomenon--the more committed you are the more attractive people who threaten your relationship appear.