Study Reveals Women Can Also Be Genetically Unfaithful

When men are caught cheating, society says, it’s because it is in their genes. If this is the case, what is the reason why women cheat?

According to Metro, a recent study published in Evolution and Human Behavior revealed that women can also be “wired” to cheat. The study involved 7,40o pairs of twins in Finland who were in long-term relationships and from ages 18 to 49. It was found that 10 % of the male participants and 6.4 % of the female participants had at least one affair in the past year.

The researchers considered the rate of cheating between fraternal and identical twins. It was revealed that there is a 63% of the variation of infidelity in men. For women, 40% could be down to genetics.

In addition, the researchers found tentative evidence for a specific gene that influenced infidelity among women. The vasopressin receptor, also called the “cheating gene”, which is responsible for sexual bonding in animals, was found to be the specific gene that makes women unfaithful. However, this gene does not influence men’s promiscuity.

Women cheat for pleasure

Psychiatrist Richard A. Friedman says women are driven to cheat because they seek pleasure. He also said that women search for novelty and sensation. (New York Times)

On a final note, Friedman said cheating can be intensely pleasurable because, among other things, it involves novelty and a degree of sensation seeking, behaviors that activate the brain’s reward circuit… which conveys not just a sense of pleasure but tells your brain this is an important experience worth remembering and repeating.