Loading...
It takes a lot to make a good, enduring marriage. Previous research has suggested that certain oxytocin receptor gene (OXTRG) polymorphisms are associated with empathy, sociability, and emotional stability; longstanding findings in prairie voles show oxytocin-vasopressin system differences between socially monogamous and nonmonogamous pair bonds. Following on this work, investigators examined OXTRG polymorphisms in relation to attachment security and marital satisfaction in 178 heterosexual married couples in which both partners were aged ≥50 and had been together for ≥6 months. The couples were predominantly white; most were well educated, were employed or retired, and had children.
OXTRG polymorphism distribution in the sample was approxim…