What if divorce is in our genes? This is demonstrated by a recent study. But don’t panic, nothing is inevitable!
According to the American Psychological Association, between 40 and 50% of marriages end in divorce. This statistic, not necessarily encouraging, is the result of a recent study, which shows that divorce could be linked to genetics. The study was published in the journal Psychological Science.
Researchers compared the divorce rates of 20,000 adopted children with the divorce rates of their biological parents and their adoptive parents. Regardless of the relationship of their adoptive parents, if their biological parents had separated, 20% of the children also divorced.
This study then shows that there is a “divorce gene”, a kind of genetic factor that would make us reproduce the actions of our parents.
But do not panic, your fate is not sealed if your parents are divorced (or not, for that matter). The Mind-Body Green website reveals what experts think of this study.
We reproduce what seems familiar to us
Erin Levine, a divorce expert, explains that it is easier to reproduce what we know. We identify with what we knew during our childhood or with a value that we transmitted to us for our education. “For example, there are a lot of people who do the same job as one of their parents,” she explains. “It’s easier for the child to go into familiar terrain,” she adds.
But just because an area seems familiar to you doesn’t mean you will take this route. Other passions can come from various external elements. In short, your life is not defined in relation to your parents.
All divorces are different
In addition, psychotherapist Alison Stone indicates that we must not forget that all divorces are different and are experienced differently. People separate for reasons that vary according to the couples and the characters of each.
It is also better to divorce and try to find happiness if a relationship becomes toxic. ” Children of divorced parents experience divorce in different ways, depending on their age, the reasons for the separation, their relationship with their parents and many other factors,” she said.
No one is destined to divorce
Even if divorce is genetic through a certain gene, that is not why it is necessarily inevitable. So, even if you are “predestined,” according to this study, to divorce, you can take action to prevent this from happening. “Influence is not the same thing as predetermination. Our identity and our behavior are changing and evolving, we adapt constantly according to the stages of our life”, explains Alison Stone.
“We can change our genes by adopting a certain lifestyle, which is more like us,” she adds.
This is enough to reassure us!
