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"Oh cheaters. In life and in love, they rarely prosper. Unless appearing on the television show Cheaters, which may or may not be a guilty pleasure of mine. There&amp;amp;#8217;s some fascinating news about philanderers out this week. Their two-timing ways might have something to do with their genes.Am I seeing anyone? Well, not technically at this exact moment. Discovery News reported that a new study suggests that promiscuity might be an inherited trait. At least in zebra finches. The lead author of the study is Wolfgang Forstmeier; he and his colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology studied the mating habits of these finches because, like humans, the birds are &amp;amp;#8220;socially monogamous.&amp;amp;#8221; These monogamous relationships involve building nests together, spending time together as a couple as well as other forms of bonding. The scientists found that the offspring of birds whose parents &amp;amp;#8220;cheated,&amp;amp;#8221; that is, engaged in sexual relationships with birds other than their mates were much more likely to become promiscuous adults as well. Forstmeier and his fellow researchers studied five generations of the finches and would sometimes place eggs from the nest of promiscuous parents into the nest of a monogamous pair. These birds, even though they were raised by a &amp;amp;#8220;faithful&amp;amp;#8221; pair of parents, were more likely to be promiscuous than their counterparts with monogamous birth parents. A biologist at the University of Kentucky said that while this study is fascinating, &amp;amp;#8220;applying this result to humans is both thought-provoking and dangerous.&amp;amp;#8221; This scientist and the team behind the study agree that the decision to be monogamous--or the decision to cheat--involves and is influenced by a good number of factors. When I think back to friends who&amp;amp;#8217;ve been cheated on (or friends who have cheated on their partners) I can&amp;amp;#8217;t remember if they ever mentioned anything about having parents who were not faithful. I suppose when it comes down to situations like that, you&amp;amp;#8217;re more focused on the heartbreak and the violations of trust rather than the cheater&amp;amp;#8217;s family history. What do you make of this study? Interesting? Hogwash? What other factors come into play when it comes to cheating? Sexual addiction? Trust or intimacy issues? News you can use&amp;amp;#133; * Orgasms: The Science Behind Faking It * Relationships: When to Forgive and When to Punish * Do You Have a Celebrity Crush Whose Hotness Is Underrated? More Ways to Get Glamour: NEW! Now You Can Read Glamour on Flipboard! Visit ShopGlamour.com for cute stuff starting at just $10! Download Glamour Magazine for your iPad--print subscribers, it&amp;amp;#8217;s now part of your subscription plan! Enter the latest Glamour sweepstakes! Follow us on Twitter. Photo: Michael Blann/Lifesize"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/sex-love-life/blogs/smitten/2011/06/cheating-study-suggests-promis>