Genes and monogamy/polyamory

[figmo]

This article features a study that says the tendency to be monogamous vs. polyamorous may be genetic.

I would have preferred they use less judgemental language in describing polyamory (why couldn't they just say meadow moles prefer multiple partners?), but the core information in the article is IMHO interesting.

Comments

Re:

[tibicina.livejournal.com]

On Polyamory... possibly, except that a lot of the problems with it are sociological. There are certainly human societies that have been polyamorous in various ways... though some are more an expression of control/status by one sex or the others.

There are people who spend a lot of time pointing out that chimpanzees seem to be monogamous and are one of our closest cousins genetically. These same people tend to forget to point out that we're equally closely related to Bonobos who are almost all bi-sexual and polyamorous (or at least form long term, but not sexually monogamous bonds).

Which all goes to say that I don't know how monogamous or polyamorous a human with no societal programing would be, but I suspect that polyamory is a more likely option than true monogamy... though I suspect even that would vary by person.

Re:

[scottscidmore.livejournal.com]

Sort of what I was trying to say while avoiding falling asleep at the keyboard. There's good reason to believe that humans are not purely monogamous by nature, but neither are they (to quote the article) promiscuous by nature; they have primary relationships that persists for several years, and may or may not have secondary relationships that usually come and go.

Besides the apes you mention, gorillas are polygamous, if a male and female gorillas establish a mating relationship, the female usually leaves if the male doesn't add additional females soon enough. At the same time, the males do not appear to be particularly possessive.

I hadn't heard that chimpanzees are particularly monogamous, at least in terms of forming a life-long pair bound. Chimps are also know to have a fair amount of homosexual activity, although not as much as the bonobos.

http://anthro.palomar.edu/behavior/social.htm

All that lets one do is to say that our closest relatives do not have a common, shared approach to sexual arrangements.