Tara Tainton

Your Libido May Be Hereditary

Written by Tara Tainton

Saturday, 10 June 2006 23:00

As if there aren't already enough factors with the ability to affect our individual sex drive. Now, researchers have found another. We now have the data to back up blaming an overactive or severely lacking libido on our parents. It's all in the jeans... and the genes.

"It's All in the Genes" was written by Valerie Gibson and published in the Toronto Sun this week. I have Felicia, a fellow erotica author, to thank for clueing me in about the original article by posting the info to the Erotica Readers & Writers Association's Parlor group (where we members congregate to talk a lot about stuff not usually related to the actual writing and reading).

all in the genes

In "It's All in the Genes," Gibson reports "a new scientific discovery, a collaborative work by scientists from Hebrew University and Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Israel has found that people with a certain genetic make-up have a far stronger sex drive than most. It's the first such study to link variations in DNA sequences to a person's sexual desire. The gene is called D4 and is connected to the brain's reaction to dopamine, the pleasure chemical.

couple in bed

It's this gene that influences arousal and sex drive. The scientists presented a questionnaire to 148 healthy male and female university students that asked them about their individual, everyday sexual arousal, how often they made love and how often they thought about sex. They then compared the results to the students' gene sequencing variations and the D4 receptor. The scientists found the variations either seemed to depress the subjects' sex drive or increase and enhance it. Which could explain why people have such varying sexual needs -- some desperately needing sex while others have little or no interest in the activity."

Interestingly enough, the article also continues on to reveal "the research also showed that men think about sex more often than women (why this comes under the label of new research boggles the mind), but it had another more fascinating finding." Still a hard "fact" to prove considering the research was a matter of handing out questionnaires to subjects. If societal pressure has any impact, the women could very well not be reporting the true strength of their sex drives. After all, it's just not very ladylike.

And of course, this kind of research and reported findings don't always benefit actual cultural norms and relationships. As Gibson points out, "It looks as if 30% of the population carry this heightened arousal gene while 60% carry the depressant one. Which could go a long way in explaining the mismatched sex drives of lots of married couples. It also, unfortunately, probably gives an excuse to those who, in truth, just 'can't be bothered' with sex."

couple disagreement arguement

What does this new research really reveal? Not really anything, in my opinion. It's not hard fact. How can you measure one's sex drive or compare it to another's? And how can we guarantee those questionnaires were completed with full accuracy?

Still, it can be true that our sex drive is influenced by our genetic makeup. Just remember that's then only one influence on a very complex facet of human behavior.

couple in bed

I don't want to hear a single person out there say, "well, that does it. I guess there's nothing I can do to change my sex drive and therefore, improve the intimacy in my sexual relationships." There will be some, but I know those voices don't belong to any of you.

After all, a requirement of tuning into TaraTainton.com is attending the school of thought that holds that our lives and relationships are what we make of them... and there's always room for positive improvement. The same applies to our individual sex drive. Thank goodness.

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Anonymous

| 2009-12-14 00:46

Linda Smith 06/11/2006 12:18 AM
I have always had a high libido. It's definitely increased! The problem is, finding a partner to do something about it with! So, I've found alternative outlets for my libido. I wonder IF and WHEN I'll find a lover or intimate partner again.... to me, celibacy is WORSE than death, but then again, what's the alternative?

michael g.b. 06/11/2006 10:05 PM
how can you tell a "male chromosome" from a "female chromosome"? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ya pull down their genes. (okay, lousy joke)

Tara, your Libido-Building WebMistress 06/12/2006 12:28 AM
Linda! Now, if your inner self really believed celibacy to be worse than death, you wouldn't be with us anymore, would you? Embrace life, and the rest will follow...just when it's supposed to. ;)

Michael...you've stunned me into silence! ha! ;)

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