Genes Can Increase Happiness Or Misery In A Marriage [Study]

Our online divorce review site is about more than just helping you learn how to file for divorce. We’re also fascinated by new research in the field of divorce studies, and this release from scientists at Chicago’s Northwestern University and the University of California, Berkeley, has us fascinated.

According to the findings, DNA determines, in part, how happy you’ll be in your marriage.

“An enduring mystery is, what makes one spouse so attuned to the emotional climate in a marriage, and another so oblivious?” said UC Berkeley psychologist Robert W. Levenson. “With these new genetic findings, we now understand much more about what determines just how important emotions are for different people.”

Meet The 5-HTTLPR Gene

In the study, researchers looked at the genotypes of more than 100 spouses and observed interaction with their partners.

The 5-HTTLPR gene was found to be a factor showing how much emotions affect a relationship, researchers stated.

Every human inherits 5-HTTLPR, involved in the regulation of serotonin, from their parents. According to the results, married study subjects with two short 5-HTTLPR genes were most unhappy in their relationships when negativity (i.e. anger and contempt) were introduced and happiest when surrounded by positivity (i.e. humor and affection).

Individuals with two long versions of the gene weren’t “overly bothered” with the emotional variations in a marriage.

“We are always trying to understand the recipe for a good relationship … and emotion keeps coming up as an important ingredient,” Levenson said, adding that research suggests people with two short 5-HTTLPR genes are more likely to thrive in a good relationship and suffer in a bad one.

Researchers clarified, however, that the variations of the 5-HTTLPR gene do not necessarily mean short and long gene holders will be a bad match — just that they will be more affected by emotion.

You Can’t Control Your Genes

Unfortunately, we’re born with the genes we have, and we’ve got to make due with that. But the next time you feel either incredibly happy or incredibly sad, and you can’t understand why your partner is not your emotional mirror image, don’t take it as a cue to file for divorce. It could just be the programming. If you’re ready to file and aren’t sure what comes next, though, check out our online divorce reviews for further assistance.