“IT'S CALLED GOSSIP AND OF COURSE IT'S AN OBSESSION OF MINE” -ANDY WARHOL

Forget the prenup. Couples pondering whether to tie the knot should proceed straight to gene testing. Well, that's one conclusion you can draw from a study in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Researchers at the Karolinksa Institute in Sweden examined a gene allele 334 in people enrolled in the Twin and Offspring Study in Sweden. This gene can affect the production of a hormone called vasopressin, which has been shown to influence monogamy in animals. They found that men who had two copies of allele 334 were twice as likely to have had a marital or relationship crisis in the last year compared with those who lacked the gene variant.These men seemed less able to bond with their partners, says lead author Hasse Walum, a postgraduate student in medical epidemiology and biostatistics. "Women married to men who carry one or two copies of allele 334 were, on average, less satisfied with their relationships than women married to men who didn't carry this allele.

-L.A Times
Sept 3 2008