Peep at infidelity and daily life through genetic lenses
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Infidelity of husband: A mystery
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According to some studies, some women may have inherited a genetic predisposition to be unfaithful to their partners. This was opined by Professor Tim Spector, director of the Twin Research Unit at St Thomas' Hospital in London, after having spoken to over 3,200 women, all identical or non-identical twins, about their sex lives.
The study revealed variations in attitudes towards infidelity and varying confessions in the number of sexual partners averaging between four and five. Approximately 40 per cent of the variation in faithfulness in the group was attributed to genes, with the rest of the variation down to environment and upbringing.
Professor Spector said: "There is not an infidelity gene, but 50 to 100 genes are important and give us the tendency to respond to our environments in different ways... It may be important for women who commit infidelity." This study was published in the journal Twin Research, and suggests that a genetic predisposition towards female infidelity may have evolved because of a tendency to mate with a genetically superior partner. This study has drawn evidence from workplaces in UK.
What is interesting is that even in our day to day lives, behavioral traits such as sleepiness or that of faith, as belief in God, could have a strong genetic component. In a study of 200 pair of twins, Professor Spector and his colleagues at St.Thomas Hospital found that 50 percent of the sleep patterns in people were due to the genes that they have inherited.
“Obstructive sleep apnoea affects approximately 24 per cent of men and 9 per cent of women aged between 30 and 60”. It even contributes to road-traffic accidents when sufferers fall asleep at the wheel. Genes were found to account for 42 per cent of the variation in snoring patterns and 45 per cent of variation in daytime sleepiness.
And as if this was not all, scientists have even challenged “you are what you eat” theory or "you are what your mother ate". The new theory of “you eat what you are” perhaps hint at genes playing a role in dietary preferences as well, though childhood environment do influence choice and fondness for certain type of food.
