Love Psychology News

June 26, 2005

IDEALISM: NEW EVIDENCE FOR A GENETIC LINK

To many people, it’s becoming reasonable to accept that Big 12 traits like Activity Level and Libido have a genetic basis. Lots of savvy couples now recognize that one or the other partner is much higher on the particular trait--and that big change is very unlikely. But how about the trait of Idealism-—embracing our values about faith, spirituality, and world betterment? Is this trait also genetically-influenced? Not surprisingly to us, the answer appears to be a decisive YES.

As featured in the June 21 issue of The New York Times, new research reported in the American Political Science Review—-the association’s premier journal, shows that genetics plays an important role in our political values. In a landmark study involving more than 8000 sets of twins, this research showed that identical twins were far more likely to agree on issues like segregation, gun control, censorship, school prayer, military draft, foreign aid, and abortion than fraternal twins. The results also suggested that our values with regard to such “hot-button” political issues change little throughout our lives.

So, as we suggest in The Love Compatibility Book, it’s vital to see how you and your prospective partner match on the Big 12 trait of Idealism, for it’s part-and-parcel of who you truly are.