THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 29, 1994 TAG: 9409290037
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JAMES SCHULTZ, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
ALL OF US are going to have to face it: We're addicted to love. Exactly how we love, though, is another question. Is the way we form and sustain relationships cosmic chance or etched permanently in our human genetic code?
Neither, says a just-released article published in the journal Psychological Science by two psychologists at the University of California at Davis.
We learn about love from our parents, our friends, the general culture in which we live and the people with whom we pair. Our ``love styles,'' the study asserts, have virtually nothing to do with heredity.
Such findings appear to run counter to studies spanning the past two decades that examine sexuality, temperament, mental illness, aggression and drug abuse. Those investigations suggest that, indeed, genetics predisposes people to act in certain ways.
``I am pleased when I hear that, gee, genes don't make us do this or that,'' said Barbara Winstead, professor of psychology at Old Dominion University. ``While there does appear to be a genetic component to human traits and behaviors, there are vast, vast areas uninfluenced by genetics. I see it as sort of a cheerful outcome.''
Using the California Twin Registry as a source for subjects, psychologists Niels G. Waller and Phillip R. Shaver studied 338 female and 107 male twin pairs, as well as 172 twin spouses. Roughly 75 percent of the twins were identical, sharing the same genetic material. The remainder were fraternal, sharing about half the same genes.
Scientists use twins because genetic similarities can be used as a kind of screen through which environmental factors are more easily sifted.
The twins answered 42 questions that measured their adherence to six styles of loving. The styles themselves, developed and described by psychologist J.A. Lee in two previous studies, use Greek words to sum up the many manifestations of a relationship.
Those twins scoring high on the Eros scale, for example, fall in love fairly quickly and place major value on passion. Individuals with high marks in the area of Agape engage in perhaps the most spiritual love, selfless and self-sacrificing when it comes to their partners. By contrast, those who score big on the Ludus scale like to play the field and avoid serious commitments.
Pragma high scorers take a practical look at relationships, weighing a potential partner's social status, career options and earnings potential before committing. Those who hit the top of the Storge chart believe that romance should flow easily and naturally from friendship.
Jealousy and possessiveness characterize those scoring on the high end of Mania. They yearn intensely for love but aren't happy when they get it, seeing potential romantic rivals at every turn.
The study's authors say that what they've uncovered may be surprising in the apparent and total lack of genetic influence but add that the results don't necessarily contradict the earlier work of others. Their work, they say, is very specific.
``For many broad personality traits, genetic influences account for 50 percent'' of behavior, said Niels Waller. ``We've charted unexplored psychological domains and found a different pattern.''
Ultimately, the most important part of the study may not be the fact that heredity seems to be out of the picture when it comes to romantic styles. It may have more to offer on how partners in a relationship feed, and feed off, one another and, in turn, how those interactions affect the quality and conduct of their mutual lives.
``When you start talking about things that depend on interactions between partners - love styles - it takes two to tango,'' said Lindon Eaves, professor of human genetics and psychiatry at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. ``Therefore, the presence of another person, a spouse, is itself a crucial environmental influence. It's a very interesting finding.''
More such studies will need to be conducted to support the contentions of Waller and Shaver. If their findings hold up, it may be proof that the human brain is not shackled to any firm destiny.
``You're not doomed to failure in your relationships; you can change,'' said ODU's Winstead. ``Maybe we can raise our children in such a way as to promote those kinds of romantic relationships we think are healthy.'' by CNB