Fidelity In A Pill: Is Promiscuity Genetic?

Fewer than 5% of mammals are monogamous, and as much as we try and win, humans fail far too often to make this short list. Ask most guys and they’ll tell you that nature is at least partially to blame for his instinct to copulate with as many females as possible. It is our higher brain, not our descending pair, which compels us to mate with a single female exclusively; the boys below argue constantly to run amok.

It comes down to an agent called vasopressin, which the brain releases upon a successful bout of copulation. Vasopressin triggers serotonin, which feels quite nice, and the association with doin’ it and these good feelings leads to an increasing instinct to repeat such activity as often as possible with as many partners as possible. We are thus…vasoppressed (har) by our own brains into being sluts!

However, scientists at the Emory University in Georgia are researching the potential for genetically altering normally promiscuous organisms into doting, faithful ones. Pretty good article on how they’ve succeeded on this with little varmints below.

The question is, what actually happens differently in the brain? Does it make sex feel less good, or just more easily contained to a single relationship? If a pill was available that could actually make you stop chasing skirts, even stop taking notice of other women than your mate, would you take it? Or is the strength and honor that comes from resisting this urge in and of itself worth the difficulty, and damned if you’re going to pass up on some free braindrugs anyway?

Faithful partners and swingers, please chime in.

Love rat cure in sight [news.com.au]