Behavioral genetic study on human mate choice and reproductive behavior related to the genetic diversity

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26670328
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Hygiene and public health
• Research Institution: National Center for Global Health and Medicine (2016-2017); The University of Tokyo (2014-2015)
• Principal Investigator: Shimizu-Furusawa Hana 国立研究開発法人国立国際医療研究センター, その他部局等, 上級研究員 (80401032)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 配偶者選択 / 次世代 / 遺伝的多様性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The aim of this study was to reveal some biological aspects of social regulation on marriage system in relation to human mate choice. The study population was Sumbanese residents in East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia, where the habitants prefer cross-cousin marriage ancestrally and traditionally. Their fertility as well as number of dead children under 15-years old in consanguineous marriage was higher than that of non-consanguineous marriage. It is suggested that offspring born to parents of consanguineous marriage might have more influence on genetic diversity within one’s lineage by their choice of their marital partners and that arranged marriage by parents might contribute more production of half-sibling with a biologically different father. Such a social regulation related to human reproductive behavior could possibly contribute to recruitment of heterozygous genotype and avoid loss of genetic diversity.

Free Research Field

Human Ecology