While some couples say marital bliss comes down to compatibility, like cheering for the same football team or enjoying the same cheese, researchers from California say how happy we are in our marriage may be a result of our DNA.
The study, conducted at the University of California-Berkeley and published in the journal Emotion, reveals that a gene concerned with regulating serotonin predicts to what degree our emotions affect our relationships.
Researchers, led by psychologist Robert W. Levenson, say this may be the first study to link genetics, emotions and marital satisfaction.
The link was made between relationship fulfillment and an allele - a gene variant - called 5-HTTLPR, which the researchers say is inherited from each parent.
"An enduring mystery is, what makes one spouse so attuned to the emotional climate in a marriage, and another so oblivious?" says Prof. Levenson.
"With these new genetic findings, we now understand much more about what determines just how important emotions are for different people."
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