Research shows genes may affect friendships more than traits

New research discovered that people may make friendship choices based on genes.

Researchers found that people generally make friends with people who have similar genetic markers.

Experts explain that not only do friends typically have similar interests and traits, but may also have similar genetic makeup as well.

These findings can be found in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

When analyzing both children and adults, researchers noticed similarities in two of six genes when comparing friendships.

One gene that researches spent a lot of time analyzing was DRD2. Known as being related to alcoholism, people with this gene typically become friends with others who also have the gene. Likewise, those without the gene usually became friends with other individuals who did not have it.

These findings show researchers that people are generally attracted to similar individuals.

However, an opposite correlation was evident in certain cases. One gene in particular, CYAP26, the ‘open personality’ gene, was found in one friend but not in the other. Maybe opposites do attract, researchers say.

Researches explain behavior may be influenced not only by genetics, but also by genetics of friends as well.