Marital assortment for genetic similarity

Area of Science:

• Human genetics
• Behavioral genetics
• Anthropology

Background:

• Genetic Similarity Theory (GST) posits that individuals are attracted to and form partnerships with genetically similar others.
• Previous research has explored genetic and phenotypic assortment in mating, with mixed results.
• Understanding the genetic basis of mate choice is crucial for evolutionary and population genetics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the validity of Genetic Similarity Theory (GST) in human mating.
• To determine if genetic similarity exists between spouses in Caucasian American and Japanese American populations.
• To examine the correlation between spousal genetic similarity and similarity in observable traits.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of blood group genetic markers across nine loci in 949 Caucasian Americans and 400 Japanese Americans.
• Statistical examination of spousal similarity for seventeen individual difference variables.
• Assessment of genetic similarity using population genetics principles.

Main Results:

• No evidence of genetic similarity between spouses was found for blood group genes in either sample.
• All genetic analyses indicated random mating patterns for blood group genes.
• Spousal similarity in observable traits was not consistently correlated with genetic components, with only the Caucasian sample showing significant results.

Conclusions:

• The study provides no substantial support for Genetic Similarity Theory (GST) as an explanation for spousal similarity in humans.
• Findings suggest that mate selection in these samples is not driven by a preference for genetic similarity.
• Random mating appears to be the norm for the genetic markers analyzed.