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Men with a certain genetic makeup have a harder time staying faithful. That's according to a recent study. But Utah psychologists say infidelity is more complicated than that.
We see it on shows like Jerry Springer and Maury all the time; people with issues of fidelity. The excuse some people give is that they just can't help it.
Licensed Clinical Social Worker Rick Lambert said, "Some people will say that. I wouldn't say that's a real regular response because I think most people have more insights about themselves and their conduct."
A new study says monogamy may be in the genes. Researchers found a gene in rodents that controls the brain chemical vasopressin, which influences how closely a man will latch to a female. Other researchers have found a similar correlation in the human version of the genetic variant. But Lambert says genetics is a flimsy excuse for cheating.
"It's maybe possible but not necessarily what I would call probable. My experience tells me there are too many other variables that cause people to have infidelity," he said.
Lambert says even the habitual cheaters are "fixable," and adults that do cheat often might have other impulse control problems.
"Medications help and also insights about the realization that you've got some impulsivity and it leads you to make poor decisions," he said.
Licensed Clinical Social Worker Jim Stringham said, "If you look at animal behavior in the brain, the brain is not wired for monogamy. It's meant to propagate. It's meant to be with several partners to ensure your DNA is going to be carried through. However, when it comes to love, a natural feeling for the brain is to start narrowing your focus to where you just want to be with that one person."
Another reason people cheat could be related to how the brain processes the feeling of love. Stringham says the same parts of the brain light up in an FMRI when a person is in love as when a person is high on cocaine.
"That feeling of high, those high levels of dopamine, they start to subside. It's natural. What happens, though, people often feel empty when those chemicals wear off," he said.
Some people confuse these chemicals wearing off as falling out of love, but that's not necessarily the case. Stringham says habitual cheating is more a sign of emotional immaturity than of genetic makeup controlling a person's behavior.
E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
