The loving and affective life and our propensity to initiate relationships and partnerships has to do with many elements : the amount of people we usually deal with on a daily basis, our social skills, our interests, etc.

However, there are indications that, in addition to the aspects of our personality that are part of us because of the experiences we have lived and the learning we have done, genetics also has an influence .

Of course, some of these genetic aspects have to do with our appearance and how we fit into certain canons of beauty. But our chances of being in a relationship can also be affected by genes through another route: psychological.

The gene that regulates the onset of relationships

Although our health and the appearance of our body influence the degree to which we are predisposed to have a partner, there are aspects of personality that are strongly influenced by our genes that also play a role.

It is clear that studying how genetics influences our behaviour is always problematic and confusing, but it is increasingly likely that more is known about the detailed ways in which our DNA predisposes us to find a partner. In fact, a study conducted in 2014 provided some clues about this link related to the world of love and the couple .

Serotonin and Love

There are several hormones produced by the human body that have been associated with the establishment of bonds of affection and love. Serotonin, which also acts as a neurotransmitter in our nervous system, is one of these types of substances.

In particular, it has been seen that an increase in serotonin levels enhances the appearance of sexual desire and actions that express affection (such as looking into one’s eyes for a long time, caressing or hugging). It also reduces levels of aggression.

The genetics behind love

A group of researchers from the Universities of Beijing and Henan set out to understand how the genes behind the mechanisms that serotonin uses to influence our behaviour can play a role in our chances of having a partner.

Specifically, they studied the effects that different variants (alleles) of the 5-HT1A gene had , which when expressed causes the receptors that serotonin uses to trigger processes in organs and neurons to be constructed in one way or another.

Conducting the research

To conduct the study, the researchers recruited a series of more than 500 students, from which they took hair samples.

From these DNA samples, they saw that the fact that each of these people had a variant of 5-HT1A or another had a relationship with their relationship situation.

People carrying an allele of the gene that was called G produced less serotonin than those with the variant called C. That meant that, if what was known about serotonin was true, people with the G allele would be less likely to have a partner.

Was this reflected in the sentimental situation of the volunteers? Indeed, about 50% of the people with the C allele had a partner, while this was only the case for 39% of the carriers of the G allele .

A temperamental personality

In addition, G-variant carriers were more prone to neuroticism and mood swings in general , and were less comfortable in intimate or partner situations, compared to people with the C allele.

This inclination towards emotional instability can make it more difficult to maintain relationships or even to get started because of problems that arise at first.

Genetics is not everything

Of course, genetics isn’t everything, although it does have an influence. That means that having one type of DNA or another doesn’t make a person predestined to have a partner or to be single; learning remains a crucial aspect.

Although in debates based on theory learning and genetics are often treated as if they were different things, in reality they always act together: where there is learning there are genes, and in psychology these genes are expressed through actions that arise, in part, because of past learning .

In the case at hand, for example, people with the G allele may be more predisposed to being single not because their DNA prevents them from forming a relationship , but because through learning they see that potential partners tend not to fit in with their personality, which makes them learn not to seek their satisfaction by looking for a partner at all costs.

In this sense, the fact of not having a partner is a decision that is influenced by genes, but it is not an inevitable season of destiny; it is simply the result of a balance of costs and benefits.