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[quote=Anonymous]Genetics are behind it as well...which may be why cheating is multi-generation in some families (not just a learned coping mechanism):

Astonishingly, a 1985 study found that 56 per cent of male adulterers rated their marriage as ‘happy’ or ‘very happy’. For women, the figure dropped to 34 per cent.

So, many men and some women jeopardize happy marriages for the sake of a tumble or two. Why?

Scientists have found some clues by studying prairie voles — one of very few mammals that generally mate for life. The breakthrough came when they discovered that the few philandering prairie voles carried a particular gene that influenced the vasopressin system.

Vasopressin is a hormone, formed and stored in the pituitary glands, before being released into the bloodstream and possibly directly into the brain, where it is believed to play a role in social behaviour, sexual motivation and pair bonding.

And what do you know — humans carry similar genes governing their vasopressin system.

Swedish scientists investigated whether one of these genes affected men’s sexual behavior. The results were remarkable. Men who had inherited this gene scored significantly lower in a questionnaire that measured their degree of attachment to a mate.

Men who had two copies of the gene had the lowest scores.

Both categories of men admitted they had experienced more marital crises during the previous year, including threats of divorce.

And those who did not carry the gene? They turned out to be the most attached to their partners.

This field of work is relatively new, but scientists think other ‘adultery genes’ are probably involved. In another recent study, for instance, a direct link was found between specific genes in the dopamine system (dopamine is a neurotransmitter that controls the brain’s reward and pleasure centres) and a higher frequency of sexual infidelity.

So some married men, it seems, may be biologically programmed to be more open to temptation.[/quote]

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