People Choose Partners who have Similar DNA: Study

We tend to choose people who are genetically similar to us as life partners, according to a study.

It is known that people look for similarities in religion, socio-economic status, education background, income levels, intelligent quotient and outlook while seeking a prospective partner for marriage. Recently, scientists discovered that common parameters for choosing future spouse like body type, race and education level are ruled by certain genetic components. Husbands and wives who share semblance in all these aspects mostly have similar DNA.  

For the study, experts from the University of Colorado Boulder analyzed genomes of 825 American couples and looked at variations in positioning of 1.7 million single -nucleotide polyporhisms in their DNA. The presence of these DNA sequences is different for every human being.

The study recorded very little differences in DNA of couples than in any two randomly picked DNAs. The findings also revealed couples with similar education level and background had about a third of genetic similarities. The preference for marrying person with education and genetic similarity is called as educational assertive mating and genetic assertive mating, respectively.

"It's well known that people marry folks who are like them," said Benjamin Domingue, study author and a research associate at CU-Boulder's Institute of Behavioral Science in a news release.

"But there's been a question about whether we mate at random with respect to genetics."

These results may impact the standard method used by the anthropologists and scientists that hold out for the concept of random mating by humans to understand genetic differences.

However, the researchers believe the study will help identify main reasons behind compatibility in married couples of different races and to note if there are any close similarities or wide differences in friends and couples.

More information is available online in the journal Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences.