A stable relationship with a nice loyal guy AND a secret wild fling with a swarthy promiscuous guy? Admit it … you’ve probably been there, done that.
From: Associations between Dopamine D4 Receptor Gene Variation with Both Infidelity and Sexual Promiscuity
“Worldwide median rates of non-paternity, or the rate of men raising children under the pretense of biological parentage, have been suggested to near 9%, or 10% more popularly.”
If the 3rd exon in your dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) gene carries 7-repeats of a 48-nucleotide sequence (48bp VNTR), then you may be slightly more like Snookie and her booze-addled kooka than you wish to admit.
“The dopaminergic reward pathway influences physiological arousal, pleasure, and intrinsic reward. Humans that possess at least one allele 7-repeats or longer (7R+) display behavioral phenotypes associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), alcoholism, financial risk-taking, disinhibition and impulsivity, and sexual behavior.”
But don’t blame it all on your genes. Your environment can modulate your genetic proclivities.
“In r-selected environments (i.e., unpredictable and unstable environments, where the ability to mate more and produce more offspring is favored), 7R+ genotype would be expected to rise in frequency. That is, in environments where “cad” behavior is adaptive, selective pressure for 7R+ would be positive; but in environments where “dad” behavior is adaptive, selective pressure for 7R+ would be negative. This is consistent with the dramatic differences in DRD4 VNTR allele frequencies and behavioral patterns found globally such as in the generally polygamous and agonistic Yanomamö Indians of South America (high 7R+ frequencies) and the generally egalitarian !Kung of the Kalahari (low 7R+ frequencies).”
I’m a DRD4 double fist pumping 7R/7R … so, like, I guess … that explains a lot of the skeletons in my closet.
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