The Playboy Gene: How Genetics of a Person Illustrates Infidelity?
Have you ever wondered why some people seem to have a constant need for thrills and excitement, while others are perfectly content with a quiet life?
Well, it turns out that genetics may play a role in this aspect of our personality.
There are three billion codes in our DNA and approximately five million distinguish us from each other while the rest of our DNA is the same.
In this advanced era, scientists can predict our attributes like height, weight, eye color, etc. through genetic codes.
Scientists studied our genome to develop personalized medicines which can cure many genetic diseases. Scientists have identified a gene variant called DRD4, which is also known as the “Playboy or Adventure Gene”.
The same is the case for inspecting the playboy gene mutation in individuals so that any disorder in novelty-seeking individuals can be minimized.
Let’s have a look at how life works based on the thrill-seeking quality of an individual through genetics.
How Genetics illustrates the thrill-seeking and infidel nature of an Individual?
Which is the Playboy gene or Thrill-seeking Behavior?
The gene involves in the sensation-seeking trait of a person is the variant of DRD4. Dopamine receptor D4 DRD4 is also named “Playboy or Adventure Gene”. It is located on the eleventh chromosome located close to the telomere, causing the thrill-seeking trait in a person.
Does the Playboy gene lead to Infidelity and Promiscuity? Is it so?
The National Center for Biotechnology Information reported that those individuals who have the 7R+ allele in their DRD4 gene are more likely to be cheaters in their relationships.
There is about a 50% chance of being infidel because they are thrill and sensation seekers in relationships and they love to explore more people but it was also observed that not all individuals who have the 7R+ alleles are cheaters.
Infidelity also depends upon environmental factors otherwise if parents are cheaters and the father is a playboy then there is a great chance that his daughters and sons will be cheaters in their relationship. The study also showed that more Americans have long 7R alleles than Asians.
Playboy gene and its relation with Thrill-Seeking behavior
The DRD4 gene is involved with dopamine which is a neurotransmitter. The transmission of dopamine from the mid-brain to the limbic system engages in enjoyable activities. The dopamine neurotransmitters bind to the dopamine receptors present in the nerve cell and this action produces pleasure feelings.
So, the person who has a long 7R allele of the DRD4 gene would have more dopamine receptors and it requires more dopamine levels to reach that level of saturation. Therefore these persons are engaged in thrill-seeking activities because it releases more dopamine. That’s why dopamine is called the happy hormone.
Playboy gene and its relation with ADH Disorder
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a cognitive problem associated with attention deficiency disorder i.e. these individuals need more attention and praise. ADHD is also related to the DRD4 gene as this gene is responsible for novelty-seeking behavior.
In addition, the long 7R allele contributes to ADHD so the individuals can do an extra, arduous, and thriller task to get more praise because the persons with normal DRD4–7R allele are not able to do such thriller tasks. This causes neural activation in those areas of the brain which has more dopamine receptors thereupon more dopamine is produced after getting praised.
Are Playboy People stress-free?
Those individuals in which the playboy gene is expressed have a long 7R allele of DRD4 and are less responsive to a stress hormone (cortisol). Hence this allele prevents the individual from getting severe traumas of personal and parental depression as they respond less to the stress consequently they become thrill-seekers and adventurous.
Gene-Environment Relationship — It’s Not all about Genetics!
Although the individuals who have the long 7R allele are more adventurous and thrill-seekers this phenotypic behavior also depends upon the environment in which a person is living.
Gene-environment interaction influences the personality trait of individuals as it implies restrictions and boundaries to the person. The other psychological disorders such as ADHD, schizophrenia, etc. are more related to the environment and the upbringing of the individual.
Conclusion
The individuals who have a long 7R allele of DRD4 are adventurous, travelers, and thrill-seekers. Moreover, the playboy gene (DRD4 gene) leads to promiscuity in boys and girls. In addition, the variant of DRD4 is also related to other psychological disorders. Therefore, DRD4 is targeted to develop drugs against many disorders which is the focal objective to study sensation-seeking genetics.