According to a 2017 study, adults with divorced parents are more likely to get divorced themselves. Now, a newer study suggests that the reason may have more to do with nature than with nurture. In other words, an increased risk for divorce may be coded in our genes.
To get some definitive answers, U.S. and Swedish researchers analyzed population data from about 20,000 Swedish adults who’d been adopted as children. What was found was that the adoptees were more likely to resemble their biological parents and siblings when it came to their divorced pasts.
This was shocking since it seems to push back against commonly held beliefs that divorce runs in families because children watch and learn from their parents and grow up to subconsciously repeat their behavior. It’s suggested that not only can behavior be watched and mimicked, but also genetically passed down.
One explanation for the hereditary connection is a collection of personality factors that have also been
