Infidelity Expert Says So-Called Male "Cheating Gene" Holds the Key to Female Infidelity

The male gene dubbed the "cheating gene," might actually be responsible for female infidelity rather than male infidelity. Infidelity expert Ruth Houston explains why the recent study, led by behavioral geneticist Hasse Walum of Sweden's Karolinska Institute, may reveal more about cheating women than it reveals about cheating men.

(PRWEB) September 8, 2008 -- According to a New York infidelity expert, a recent study of a male gene nicknamed the "cheating gene" may actually provide more insight on cheating women than it does on cheating men.

What the Study Involved
A team of researchers, led by behavioral geneticist Hasse Walum of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden conducted studies on 552 pairs of male twins to determine which of them had a variant gene form found to act on a hormone called vasopressin, which affects social behavior, pair-bonding and sexual attachment.

All of the men in the study were currently in relationships that had lasted at least 5 years. (82% were married, 18% were living together)

In addition to undergoing genetic testing, the men were required to complete questionnaires designed to measure their level of "pair bonding," marital strife, and the quality of their relationships with their mates.    

Their wives or live-in partners were also questioned to determine their level of satisfaction in their relationships with these men.

What the Study Revealed
The men who had the variant gene scored lower on a Partner Bonding Scale, designed to rate the strength of a person's attachment to his or her mate. These men were also more likely to have experienced recent marital or relationship problems.

The wives and girlfriends of the men with the variant gene scored higher in marital or relationship dissatisfaction than the wives and girlfriends of the men without the gene.

Insight on Female Infidelity
Infidelity expert Ruth Houston, founder of www.InfidelityAdvice.com , and author of Is He Cheating on You? - 829 Telltale Signs, says the study provides more insight on female infidelity than on male infidelity.

Houston, who is frequently called on by the media to comment on infidelity issues in the news, says, "I think it's significant that the women in relationships with the men who had the variant genes were more likely to be dissatisfied with their mates. Apparently this gene affects the behavior of the men who have it, in a way that causes their mates to experience higher levels of dissatisfaction or unhappiness with them. Since studies confirm that female infidelity is directly related to a woman's dissatisfaction with her marriage or her mate, it would seem to follow that these women would be more likely to cheat on their mates."

Why the "Cheating Gene" Requires Further Study
"We never looked at infidelity in our study at all." said Walum, who led the genetic study of the gene that has been dubbed the "cheating gene", the "infidelity gene", the anti-commitment gene" just to cite a few of the nicknames this variant gene has been given. "What we have been focusing on is how strongly men bond to their partners." Walum stressed that larger studies need to be done to test how the variant affects human behavior.

Houston agrees, saying, "Since marital dissatisfaction is a major contributing factor to female infidelity, I think studies should be conducted to find out how many men with this gene variant have been victims of female infidelity. A more telling study would be to find out how many women who cheat on their husbands are married to men who have this variant gene."

Genetic Testing for Victims of Female Infidelity?
"I'm not advocating that every man who's ever been cheated on go for genetic testing," says Houston, who has been researching infidelity for the past 15 years. "But if a man has a history of being cheated on by the women whom he's had relationships in the past -- if he's has repeatedly been a victim of female infidelity, maybe it's because he has this variant gene."

"If so," says Houston, "he would do well to familiarize himself with the early warning signs of infidelity so he'll know if -- or when his wife or girlfriend is on the verge of having an affair. If he's able to spot the subtle signs of an impending affair, he may be able to save his relationship before it's too late."

Free Tip Sheet on Signs of Infidelity
To request a free copy of infidelity expert Ruth Houston's tip sheet on signs of infidelity, entitled 21 Ways to Tell if You Have a Cheating Mate, e-mail InfidelityInfo @ gmail.com with "21 Ways-prw" in the subject line.

For more information on cheating spouses, infidelity, or extramarital affairs, visit www.InfidelityAdvice.com or Ruth Houston's infidelity blog at http://infidelitynewsandviews.blogspot.com

About Ruth Houston:
Infidelity expert Ruth Houston is the founder of www.InfidelityAdvice.com and the author of Is He Cheating on You? - 829 Telltale Signs, which lists practically every known sign of infidelity, including the subtle signs people usually overlook. Despite the title, most of the signs in the book apply to cheating women as well as cheating men.

Frequently called on by the media to comment on infidelity issues in the news, Ruth has been quoted in USA Today, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, Cosmopolitan, the New York Post, the Chicago Tribune, the Houston Chronicle, the Toronto Sun, Maclean's, MSN Lifestyle, FoxNews.com, ABCNews.com, msnbc.com, Divorce360.com, iVillage, Reuters, AP, UPI and numerous other print and online media.

Ruth has been a guest on The Today Show, CNN, Fox & Friends, The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet, NBC News, BBC, CBC, WCBS, ABC News, Fox News and over 440 other radio and TV talk shows in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, Australia, New Zealand and the Caribbean.

To interview infidelity expert Ruth Houston, call 718 592-6039 or e-mail InfidelityExpert @ gmail.com

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