MSNBC.com - The one-night stand gene

[HighOnHendrix]

http://bodyodd.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/12/02/5563195-honey-its-not-my-fault-its-the-one-night-stand-gene

You might call it the one-night stand gene.

A minor tweak of the gene that maps out a receptor for the feel-good neurotransmitter, dopamine, may be all it takes to explain the promiscuous beats of the cheating heart. Researchers have found that people born with this genetic variation are far more likely to cheat or engage in risky sexual behaviors, such as one-night stands, according to a study published this week in PloS ONE.

Earlier studies linked the genetic mutation in question to a tendency to engage in risky behaviors as well as the propensity to become addicted to illicit drugs and alcohol, so the researchers suspected it might also affect a person’s sexual behavior.

At the root of all this research is dopamine. Scientists have long known that when dopamine spurts in the brain, we feel pleasure. It's what makes us feel good when we eat, have sex or even take illicit drugs. Evolutionarily speaking, this system developed so we would find our way back to tasty morsels – and sexual partners.

So it made sense that dopamine might also be involved in the propensity to promiscuity, says the study’s lead author, Justin Garcia, a SUNY Doctoral Diversity Fellow in the laboratory of evolutionary anthropology and health at Binghamton University, State University of New York.

“The motivation seems to stem from a system of pleasure and reward, which is where the release of dopamine comes in,” Garcia explains. “In cases of uncommitted sex, the risks are high, the rewards substantial and the motivation variable – all elements that ensure a dopamine ‘rush.’”

To test the theory, Garcia rounded up 181 college students and asked them to fill out questionnaires that would reveal sexual habits, along with other proclivities, such as cigarette smoking and the tendency to take risks. Garcia and his colleagues also tested the study volunteers’ DNA to determine which form of dopamine receptor the students had inherited.

The study findings were striking. Students with the genetic variation were twice as likely as others report promiscuous behaviors, including one-night stands. And a full 50 percent reported that they had been unfaithful to a partner, compared to 22 percent of those without the variation.

It would seem that science has provided the cheaters among us with the ultimate excuse. But, as is often the case, DNA isn’t destiny, experts say. Many of the volunteers had the promiscuity gene, but weren’t yielding to their cheating hearts – or genes, says William Pollack, an associate clinical professor in the department of psychiatry at the Harvard University Medical School. An important question to answer in future research is why some were able overcome their genetic proclivity to promiscuity, says Pollack.

One other interesting question left unanswered by the researchers is whether there was a difference between men and women when it comes to resisting the pull of genetics. “The study shows that the gene mutation was equally common in men and women, but other research has found that men tend to be more promiscuous,” Pollack says.

While scientists thrash out that weighty question, it might be nice if you could determine whether that person sitting across from you on a first date was born with the cheating gene. One likes to be able to weigh the benefits and the risks. Along with all the screening questions asked before a date, maybe there should be a DNA test.

From another article on the subject:

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=f03fa777-9ae0-407b-ad17-e4407f1031f7&k=82274

Garcia said the discovery sheds new light on the mystery of human sexuality and it's important to stay away from "facile generalizations" about the meaning of the research.

"This isn't an excuse, and it doesn't give you free rein, but it does help explain how this behaviour is motivated," said Garcia.

"The systems involved in motivating this behaviour are different than those governing romance and attachment."

The reality is, said Garcia, if you are in a relationship and your partner strays, it may be true when they say they still love you and want to stay committed.

Nonetheless, added Garcia, "There are always other issues at play in relationships, and particularly with infidelity, it's devastating because you lose trust, and so knowing this doesn't really help."

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

There's a ready made excuse for the cheating fraternity.

"I do love you REALLY baby, but I have this gene ..... "

Hail.

[Riggins77]

things that make you go hmmmmmm.

[HighOnHendrix]

There's a ready made excuse for the cheating fraternity.

"I do love you REALLY baby, but I have this gene ..... "

Hail.

I don't believe in that for a second. I think that everyone has their own free will to make their own decisions; anyone who cheats in a committed relationship does so by way of a conscious decision. I do find it fascinating that certain people have a built-in predisposition to certain types of behaviors, though.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Oh HOH, I wasn't condoning cheating by any stretch of the imagination. Apologies if it read that way. By example, I have a friend that "plays" on line, and we've really gotten into it as regards his wife. He can't see my view point that he's cheating on her, even if it's not an actual physical thing. Deceptions deception, which ever way you cut or try excuse it. And the hurt and distrust that causes can be devastating. Even given the apparent relation between a built-in predisposition as the research claims to that in certain individuals, I still don't know how one person can do that to another if they are in a relationship. You want to sleep with someone else? Finish with the partner you don't want to be with that night. How hard is it?

The point I was flippantly alluding to was that I wouldn't put it past those that do cheat to run with this research as an excuse if they hear about it.

Hail.

[Koolblue13]

"This isn't an excuse,," said Garcia.

It is n0w!

[mjah]

Hey, here's some fun you can have with the numbers in this study.

Let's say your significant other admits to a history of cheating and then says, "I can't help that I'm a cheater, baby -- it's just my genes." Are they telling the truth?

Happily, probability provides a means to TEST your significant other's claim.

If we believe the study, then:

- Probability of having the "cheat gene": P(H) = 24%, with very little deviation between genders

- Probability of cheating: P© = 29%, at age 20 (more like 50% in adults but let's pretend s/he's 20, oh yeah!)

- Probability of having cheated by age 20 given that you have the "cheat gene": P(C|H) = 50%

Those last two stats don't differentiate on gender, and we're locked into the "once a cheater, always a cheater" assumption, but let's keep it simple and see what we get.

You want to know: Given that my significant other has cheated, what are the overall odds that s/he actually has the "cheat gene" as s/he claims? Math-wise, what is P(H|C)?

Well, hooray for Bayes theorem! It tells us that P(H) * P(C|H) = P© * P(H|C), and the events H and C (having the gene and being a cheater) need not be probabilistically independent. Nice.

So 24% * 50% = P(H|C) * 29%

P(H|C) = 41%

So 6 out of 10 times, that 20 year old you're having fun with is not just a dirty dog, but also a lying rat!

And if you assume the person is somewhere close to the American average age of 37, then they're a lying rat 3 out of 4 times!

Not so good for the "it's my genes" tack.

By the way, to get a couple of those numbers above, I looked up the published study results. Interestingly they note that this result:

A full 50 percent [of subjects with the genetic variation] reported that they had been unfaithful to a partner, compared to 22 percent of those without the variation.

...actually FAILED to be statistically significant. So that result very well may turn out to be meaningful, but first they need (and appear to be looking for) a larger group of subjects to study. There's actually a lot in the "Results" section of the study that takes a bite out of the black-and-white nature of the media reports. But the numbers are still fun to play with...

[NoCalMike]

Through my observation and conversations with people over the years, I find that most people who cheat, put themselves in a situation that makes it possible in the first place.

The over-the-top work place "it's just flirting" games. The "I just go to the clubs to wind down and have a drink" excuse.

All these situations put you in a position where you are more likely to have a "moment of truth" decision by the end of the night.

Cheating rarely happens because two strangers catch eyes and then immediately run off to sleep with each other.

When I was younger and more reckless in my behavior, I can't honestly say how I would have reacted had attractive women just randomly come up to me offer no-strings sex even though I had a GF. I'd like to think I'd say no, but you never know. The point is, since that kind of scenario is 1/1000000, most of the time, you have to take the first five steps towards cheating first. Fortunately, I never really put myself in the situation to let it happen.

[Special K]

The real question is, will this gene theory stand up in court?

[Burgold]

The real question is, will this gene theory stand up in court?

How do you plead?

Temporary heredity.

[bishtw]

This is very interesting, had I know about this I might have been able to come up with better excuses then, "I had been drinking" or "It just happened, it didn't mean anything" when I was younger.

[Reic]

How is this different than people with sex addiction? or is theirs just a difference in enzymes?

This helps explain my college years a bit easier, though

[HighOnHendrix]

Oh HOH, I wasn't condoning cheating by any stretch of the imagination. Apologies if it read that way. By example, I have a friend that "plays" on line, and we've really gotten into it as regards his wife. He can't see my view point that he's cheating on her, even if it's not an actual physical thing. Deceptions deception, which ever way you cut or try excuse it. And the hurt and distrust that causes can be devastating. Even given the apparent relation between a built-in predisposition as the research claims to that in certain individuals, I still don't know how one person can do that to another if they are in a relationship. You want to sleep with someone else? Finish with the partner you don't want to be with that night. How hard is it?

The point I was flippantly alluding to was that I wouldn't put it past those that do cheat to run with this research as an excuse if they hear about it.

Hail.

I understood what you meant, and yeah, they will.

[Veretax]

Now if this is true, what are the family Histories of the people with this gene? Is it something passed down from the father or mother? The bible for example says that sin can be passed down even to the third generation. I'd be interested in knowing more about the family history of these test subjects, to see if such a tendency is found.