If you thought a busted moral compass was to blame for marital infidelity, think again. The real cause might be your genetic make-up, say scientists at Binghamton University in New York. A minor variation of your dopamine receptor apparently makes you more likely to cheat on your spouse. In recent years, a growing list of vices, disorders, and frowned upon behaviors have been blamed on genes. Here's a list:
Overeating
If you can't stop pigging out, it's because of a mutation in your genes, say British scientists from Exeter University. People with the "fat gene" are up to 6 pounds heavier than those without it.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Overspending
Those five maxed-out credit cards in your wallet might not be your fault, say scientists at Stanford University and the University of Florida, Gainesville. Studies of identical twins show that "extreme choices" — such as deciding whether to shell out for an expensive pair of shoes — are genetic.
Smoking
Can't quit the cancer sticks? Blame your DNA! Your genes not only make you more likely to get hooked on smoking, they also make it harder for you to kick the habit, say researchers at a Houston-based cancer center.
Bad driving
About 30 percent of Americans have a "gene variant" that make them roughly 20 percent worse at driving, says a study from the University of California, Irvine. Next time you have a fender-bender, you know what to blame.
Inability to remember faces
If you can't put a name to a face, it may not be because you're not paying attention. No, facial recognition ability — or the lack of it — is another thing that comes from our genetic make-up, according to a study from Wellesley College in Massachussets.
Poor sense of direction
Can't seem to ever find your way home? Apparently individuals missing a sliver of their genetic alphabet — a condition known as Williams Syndrome — find it more difficult to navigate from point A to point B.
Stuttering
Speech therapists have been trying to cure this impediment with therapy, but drugs may be more appropriate. Researchers at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders have discovered that stutterers share a mutated gene.
Shrewishness
Why are some women more "combative" than others? Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that hostility in women may be genetic.
Laziness
If your teenager is a slacker, you might just have yourself to blame — or your genetic make-up, at least. Scientists at the University of California found that the urge to keep fit or remain inactive is passed down from generation to generation.
Bullying
The desire to pick on weaker individuals than yourself is hereditary, according to a study by the Institute of Psychiatry in London. This kind of inherited "aggressive antisocial behavior" is especially profound in girls.
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Constant typing is often blamed for the aching wrists associated with carpal tunnel syndrome, says orthopaedic professor David Ring of Harvard University, but it's far more likely to come from your genes.
Dislike of spinach, broccoli
Next time you're trying to convince a reluctant kid to eat some spinach, consider this — he or she may be genetically pre-disposed to dislike it. Genetic "super-tasters," people who have more taste buds on their tongue than most other people, tend to dislike spinach, broccoli, grapefruit juice, green tea, and soy products.
.....................................
SEE MORE THE WEEK'S RELATED COVERAGE:
• 6 things your fingers say about you
• 9 surprising things that help you live longer
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.