A new study published in the journal Science does nothing to dispel the notion that males who routinely cheat on their mates are just a bunch of rats.
The study examined the DNA of Midwestern prairie voles and linked it to the rodents’ behavior. Voles are known for their monogamous pair-bonding, but that doesn’t stop a lot of the males from sleeping around.
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin found that one of every three males has a certain hormone in his brain that makes him just plain naughty. Not only were these guys prone to creeping outside of their main relationships, they were so brazen that they often found themselves in nests already occupied by faithful males that beat them to a pulp.
While some of the unfaithful were out fooling around, other unfaithful males slipped into their homes and impregnated their mates. This cycle of strange poetic justice virtually guaranteed that philanderers were more likely to unknowingly help raise young as stepfathers.
The study does more than offer observations on dirty vole behavior. It appears to suggest that vole cheaters are born that way. “Just as people can be introverted or extroverted, prairie voles can be more or less prone to sexual fidelity because of … genetic differences,” said a statement by the university that accompanied the study’s release late last week.
The researchers found no link between the behavior of voles and that of other species, humans included. Deep inside its content, buried under a lot of technical words that most people have never heard, the report offered only this: “Among humans, similar forces have been proposed to explain differences in personality, resilience and psychiatric risk.”
