What is the ‘happy marriage’ gene?

Living happily ever after with your true love may be written not in the stars but in your DNA, according to a new study that identifies a gene linked to sustaining a successful relationship.

Researchers at Yale University examined the genetic profile of 178 married couples using saliva samples, and also quizzed each volunteer on their satisfaction and feelings of security in their marriage.

The scientists found that people in self-reported stable marriages were more likely to possess the GG genotype, a genetic variation that affects oxytocin, “a hormone that plays a role in social bonding”, says The Daily Telegraph.

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The genetic variant is associated with “greater empathy, sociability, and emotional stability”, say the authors of the study.

They found that individuals who either had the GG genotype or had a spouse with the variant reported greater marital satisfaction than those in relationships where neither partner possessed it.

The scientists estimate that about 4% of the variation in marital satisfaction can be attributed to the presence of the GG genotype - a small but nonetheless valuable clue about how and why some relationships endure.

“This study shows that how we feel in our close relationships is influenced by more than just our shared experiences with our partners over time,” said Professor Joan Monin, who led the study, published in scientific journal PLOS One.

“In marriage, people are also influenced by their own and their partner’s genetic predispositions.”

The findings “mark the first link between the GG genotype and marital success”, and the Yale team now plan to investigate its effects in a larger group of people, The Independent reports.

Prior research has also linked a happy marriage to better health and longer life. A study published in November in the journal Health Psychology found that, adjusting for other factors, people who described their marriage as “happy” or “pretty happy” had a significantly lower mortality rate than those in unhappy marriages over a 32-year period.

And a 2017 study outlined in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health found that men who reported an increasing level of satisfaction with their marriages over the six-year study period had lower cholesterol and a healthier weight than those whose satisfaction remained the same.

However, getting hitched can go both ways - the same study found that couples in deteriorating marriages “were more likely to develop high blood pressure later in life”.