Monogamy Gene and voles

Scientists believe they have found a ‘monogamy gene’ in certain animals including voles.

Voles are pre-programmed to mate for life, and apparently humans have the same gene, though it works slightly differently (after all, we’re not rodents…)

Of the two kinds of vole, prairie voles display monogamous behaviour - in other words they form a life-long bond with their first mate. Male meadow voles, however, have nothing to do with the female meadow vole after mating and having young. He goes off and looks for another female.

Sound familiar?

Anyway, a gene present in the prairie vole’s brain was not present in the meadow vole’s brain. Adding that gene to the meadow vole’s brain made it monogamous.

The point behind the research is not to come up with a love potion or a monogamy pill, it is to understand how people form relationships. The research is also designed to help scientists understand autism, depression and schizophrenia.

Why doesn’t the monogamy gene work in all people?

Anthropologists say people have the ability to think and feel and that can overcome our genetic predisposition to monogamy.

It’s an interesting article: Scientists find monogamy gene