Do Men Carry A Commitment Phobia Gene?

Want to know if your man is afraid of commitment? Then you should straight away head in for gene testing. Well, according to a latest research, a possible biological basis has been discovered for why some guys just don’t settle down.

In the Twin and Offspring Study, a gene named allele 334 was examined by researchers at the Karolinksa Institute in Sweden. Allele 334 has been found to effect the production of a hormone called vasopressin.

Vasopressin is supposed to be responsible for monogamy in animals. The researchers found that men who had two copies of allele 334 were twice as likely to have had some problem in their marriage or a relationship in the last year as compared to those who lacked the presence of the gene variant.

552 sets of twins, all in relationships, were a part of the study. The couples were asked to fill out the questionnaires which had questions like:

I feel anxious when someone gets too close.

Have you ever regretted getting married/ moving in?

Do you kiss your partner?

After this the researchers ran genetic screens of the subjects.

Lead author Hasse Walum, a postgraduate student in medical epidemiology and biostatistics, said that men who carried one or two copies of allele 334 were less able to bond with their partners.

Walum added, “Women married to men who carry one or two copies of allele 334 were, on average, less satisfied with their relationships than women married to men who didn’t carry this allele.”

But the lead author noted that men can’t blame the genesdefine for their bad behaviour. Walnum said that the study does give some information on the genetic basis of human bonding. “There are, of course, many reasons why a person might have relationship problems.”