Commitment phobia may be built into a man's genes

Researchers at the prestigious Karolinska Institute in Sweden have found a genetic variant that could explain why some men are dysfunctional when it comes to their relationships. Not only did one version of the AVPR1A gene indicate a lower chance that the men were married, two copies of the gene indicated a significantly higher risk of marital discord.

"This is the first time that a specific gene variant has been associated with how men bond to their partners," said Hasse Walum. "Women married to men who carry one or two copies of allele 334 were, on average, less satisfied with their relationship than women married to men who didn't carry this allele."

Their theory is that the gene affects how the body uses vasopressin. The gene is also linked to autism, which is characterized by a severe disability in a person's ability to interact socially with others. 

- read the story from the BBC

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