Researchers studying 150 couples over a 20-year period have found a gene that predicts relationship success. More specifically, the gene variant predicts how much a person lets emotions affect their relationships. Those with two short alleles (Alleles? I just had a traumatic flashback to science class) tend to judge their relationships by their emotional swings. Meaning, if they’re experiencing a negative emotion in their life, they rate their relationship unfavorably, but if they’re having positive life experiences, they rate their relationship as successful. On the other hand, people with long alleles felt steady relationship fulfillment regardless of their emotions.
