Love: I’m in Love With You[‘re Genes]

“There is only one page left to write on. I will fill it with words of only one syllable. I love. I have loved. I will love.” Art, music, poetry, books, and plays have tried to depict the feeling of love for centuries. We hear about puppy love, star-crossed lovers, soulmates and more. But what determines who we fall in love with? Is it their smooth talking? Amazing personality? Striking good looks? Or could it be due to your genes?

Scientists have often posed questions which try to determine what love is and if there is a reason behind why we love who we love. The emotion of Love has been divided into three categories: lust, attraction, and attachment, and each of these categories are driven by a different set of hormones: Lust by testosterone and oestrogen; attraction by dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin; and attachment by oxytocin and vasopressin. So now we know a potential answer to the questions ‘what is love?,’ we can now begin to understand if there is a scientific reason behind who we love.

One study has found that who we find attractive, which is one of the categories which make up love, is due to our pheromones. Pheromones are odourless chemicals given off by many types of animals, including humans, during sexual stimulation. Pheromones are thought to be produced by a group of proteins, collectively called the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), which also regulates the immune system. There are many variations of the MHC gene. In the study, women were asked to smell shirts worn by men, and rank them from most attractive smelling to least attractive smelling. Both the men and the women in this study had their genomes sequenced to determine which variation of the MHC gene they had. The results showed that whether a man was ranked as the most attractive smelling, depended on how different the man’s MHC variation was from the women who was judging them.

But why has this happened? If you think about evolution (the passing on of genes which increase the likelihood of future generations surviving), if you mate with someone who has different immune system genes, and therefore are primed to fight off different types of infections, the resulting offspring will be more likely to defend themselves against a wider range of pathogens. As the MHC genes play a role in both the immune system and in pheromone production, it may therefore not be a surprise that we are evolutionarily more attracted to the pheromones which indirectly identify someone as having a different immune system.

However, there are scientists who disagree with this hypothesis. One study investigated 3,691 married couples; they found that the differences in the variation in MHC genes between these couples were no higher than chance, suggesting that the differences in MHC genes had no effect in married couples. This may be because the previous ‘shirt smelling’ study was only looking at attractiveness, whereas in marriage, there are a lot more factors at play than just being attracted to someone.

Overall, there is evidence that genes play a role in aspects of love. Studies have shown that certain genes may make someone more attractive to an individual, because of the pheromones produced, which indirectly show that they have characteristics which increase the likelihood of your offspring surviving and continuing your lineage. However, attraction does not equal love, and there are many factors involved which determine who we fall in love with. Scientists have not yet found if and what these factors are, meaning there is much more research still to be done.

References

https://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/news/20010214/love-is-all-in-your-head----is-in-your-genes

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/genetic-crossroads/201402/love-is-in-your-genes

https://instantchemistry.com/

https://dailybruin.com/2009/02/03/discovering-genetic-magic-behind-love

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/abs/10.1098/rspb.2020.1800

https://time.com/3707071/pheromones-love-life/

https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2017/love-actually-science-behind-lust-attraction-companionship/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/darwins-subterranean-world/201612/why-we-love

 

Disclaimer

The information in this blog is for information and entertainment purposes only. I am not a medical professional, so I have never and will never give medical advice in this blog. You should always speak to a healthcare professional about your unique health needs. My opinions are entirely my own and do not reflect the organisations or people I work for. I only discuss published literature in this blog which are referenced with links.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Testing: Put Your Genes Under the Microscope

What do you think of when someone says ‘Mutation’? The X-men? A zombie apocalypse? In reality, a mutation is simply a naturally occurring, random change in a gene. These mutations often have no effect, but occasionally, they can be harmful; for example, they could increase a person’s risk of developing cancer, a genetic disorder, and other rare diseases. However, scientists can detect these gene changes through genetic testing. There are several types of genetic testing, and they can be used to test individuals at different life stages: pre-natal testing detects harmful mutations in a foetus before birth; childhood testing is usually used to confirm a medical diagnosis or predict whether a disorder may develop and therefore requires observation. Any mutations detected during pre-natal and childhood testing are usually due to an inherited genetic mutation; conversely, adult genetic testing is used to predict late-onset genetic disorders, usually caused by mutations that occur in that ...
Read more

Year of Genetics

Compared to other areas of science, the history of genetics is relatively short. This means that there are vast amounts of genetic phenomena which are still unknown.   This is very exciting, because it means that we are living in an age where we can experience breakthroughs in science which can impact a wide range of people, in real time. Every year we have seen new discoveries in genetics, and the last twelve months have been no exception. Personally, I feel the biggest breakthrough in genetics this year has been how genetics is becoming part of mainstream awareness, and terms like ‘Spike protein’, ‘T-cells’, ‘antibodies’, ‘viral variant’ and more have become common in everyday language. This is in part due to scientists and medical professionals and some politicians who have made it their duty to help the public understand the complexity of the pandemic, epidemiology, and public health guidelines in a way that anyone can understand. It is no surprise that a lot of the breakth...
Read more

Zombies: Can Gene Editing Cause an Apocalypse?

Scientists have long known that our DNA sequences can and do change. These changes can occur naturally or following exposure to mutagens or viral infections. Differences in DNA sequences are the reason that we have different coloured hair, are different heights, and have different eye colours. Changes in DNA sequence also mean that we can develop genetic disorders; early onset Alzheimer’s, some cancers, HIV and Cystic Fibrosis are all examples of disorders caused by changes in the DNA sequence. So, can we treat these disorders by changing the DNA sequence back? Gene editing is where DNA is added, removed, or altered at certain locations in the genome. Although gene editing is used in a wide range of situations, such as in the food industry, the first successful use of gene editing in humans was in 1995, when scientists were able to temporarily treat patients with severe immune system deficiency. Since then, advancements in gene therapy have come on leaps and bounds, and in 2020, the ...
Read more