Science continues to blow our minds day after day, and consider us amazed by this latest piece of research.
According to a new study, carried out by experts from the Virginia Commonwealth University and Lund University in Sweden, your likelihood of divorcing could come down to your genes.
The research, set to be published in the journal Psychological Science, sought to answer one question: why does divorce run in families?
Previously, evidence has shown that children of divorced parents are more likely to get divorced themselves, in comparison to the children of parents who stay together. This was always thought to come down to environmental factors.
However, authors of this latest research believe that there could be a genetic factor at play.
As part of the study, the team analysed data from Sweden’s population registries. When they focused on people’s divorce histories, they found that people who were adopted tended to share the same status as their biological parents rather than their adoptive parents.
Lead author Dr Jessica Salvatore described the research results as ‘significant’.
“Across a series of designs using Swedish national registry data, we found consistent evidence that genetic factors primarily explained the inter-generational transmission of divorce,” she explained.
“For this reason, focusing on increasing commitment or strengthening interpersonal skills may not be a particularly good use of time for a therapist working with a distressed couple.”
Well, mums, what do you think of this latest finding? Do you believe that your likelihood of divorcing really could come down to your genes? Let us know!
