Genes associated with sensation-seeking behaviors may also be associated with sexual promiscuity, infidelity.According to the Time (12/2, Kluger) "Healthland" blog, "infidelity -- and, for that matter, any act of fleeting, uncommitted sex -- always has an element of risk about it." In order "to determine just what might distinguish people who are thrilled by sexual risk from people who recoil from it," researchers from Binghamton University started their search by looking at the "DRD4 gene, which helps regulate dopamine receptors." The scientific community is well aware that that the "DRD4 gene is involved in thrill-seeking behaviors such as gambling and drinking, and" lead study author Justin "Garcia suspected it might play a role in high-wire sex too."
Investigators then "interviewed 181 young adults, asked them about their sexual behavior and relationships, and took samples of their DNA," WebMD (12/2, Woznicki) reported. They eventually discovered that "people with a genetic variation of DRD4 called 7R+ were more likely to commit infidelity or be promiscuous; 50% of people with 7R+ reported being unfaithful, compared with 22% of people who did not have this genetic variation." According to the paper in PLoS ONE, "gender did not play a role in genetic variation; 23% of women and 26% of men in the group were found to have the 7R+ genetic variation."
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