The team found a link between relationship fulfillment and a gene variant, or allele, known as 5-HTTLPR. All humans inherit a copy of this gene variant from each parent, they said.However, researchers note that it doesn't mean that couples with different variations of 5-HTTLPR are incompatible - it's just that those with two short alleles are more likely to thrive in a good relationship and suffer in a bad one.
Study participants with two short 5-HTTLPR alleles were found to be most unhappy in their marriages when there was a lot of negative emotion, such as anger and contempt, and most happy when there was positive emotion, such as humor and affection. By contrast, those with one or two long alleles were far less bothered by the emotional tenor of their marriages. The study involved 100 married subjects, with researchers studying their genotytpes and observing the subjects with their partners over a period of 13 years.
"We are always trying to understand the recipe for a good relationship, and emotion keeps coming up as an important ingredient," said Levenson.