'Controversial' Genetics Study Suggests Bisexual Men More Adventurous
Could bisexual men be leading a more adventurous life than the rest of us for genetic reasons tied to their attraction to both men and women? Could a willingness to try things mean that they are getting more out of life, and not just in the bedroom?
Researchers behind a new study say they have identified genetic correspondences between bisexuality and a higher disposition of bisexual men to take risks. The purported links are specific to bisexuality, as opposed to LGBTQ+ people in general.
The study was published on Jan. 3, the journal Science reported.
"By mining a DNA database of some 450,000 people in the United Kingdom, a research team has concluded that the genes underlying bisexual behavior are distinct from those driving exclusive same-sex behavior, and may be intertwined with a propensity for taking risks," Science summarized.
The article went on to note that the study's authors interpret the purported connection between bisexuality and risk-taking as accounting for statistical evidence that bisexual men "have a reasonably high number of offspring..."
One question around sexuality that is not entirely geared toward heterosexual relationships is why evolution would continue to favor a consistent percentage of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people, the article discussed. Science noted that "scientists have proposed several evolutionary theories explaining why same-sex sexual behavior may persist" (the article did not address similar questions regarding asexuality or sterility).
A previous genetics study in 2019 that encompassed both bisexual and gay men "found that having certain genetic variants could explain up to 25% of same-sex sexual behavior," Science backgrounded. "These DNA patterns were linked to taking risks in life and being open to new experiences."
The new study focused more on whether bisexuality by itself could be closely correlated with such personal traits, using "a statistical technique to figure out whether bisexual behavior and exclusive homosexual behavior were genetically correlated."
"The researchers found, for the first time, that although they share some genetic variants, the behaviors are genetically distinct from each other," Science explained. The result was that "the researchers found that bisexual behavior was genetically correlated with a propensity for taking risks in men, but not in women."
Moreover, "Their analysis also showed that risk-taking behavior was correlated with an increased number of offspring," the article went on to say. After more statistical refinement, "The researchers concluded that gene variants associated with risk-taking increase the likelihood of showing bisexual behavior, as well as having more kids," Science added.
Unsurprisingly, the findings sparked instant controversy, Science reported. "The result that bisexuality is tied with risky behavior, some scientists say, could be used by others to discriminate against, and further perpetuate false narratives about, bisexual people," the article detailed.
Some scientists expressed reservations about the researchers' approach. "It is a study of sexual history, rather than sexual identity, and is not fully capturing the experiences of people who identify as bisexual," said University of Cambridge statistician Catherine Saunders.
"Andrea Camperio Ciani, a behavioral geneticist at the University of Padova, said that the study doesn't help explain why exclusive gay behavior is still present in humans if it leads to fewer offspring," the Science writeup relayed. Ciani pointed out that gay and lesbian human beings "have been everywhere in every nation, always at a low frequency, but everywhere."
Another critique took aim at the study's reliance in self-reporting and the fact that sociological factors could have affected the results, since a "history of stigma could have affected how [respondents] responded to questions about their sexual history," particularly since a majority of the respondents in the database are of a generational cohort that came of age when sex with someone of the same gender wasn't merely taboo, but also considered to be a criminal offense.
The poorly defined element of individual "risk taking" was also critiqued.
"However, study co-author Jianzhi Zhang, an evolutionary geneticist at the University of Michigan (UM), counters that the association between bisexual behavior and risk-taking 'is an empirical observation,'" Science said.
The paper contains text expressly stating that the results claimed by the researchers "are not, in any way, intended to suggest or endorse discrimination on the basis of sexual behavior," Science observed.
Zhang said he and the other researchers behind the report "hold no moral judgement on risk-taking," adding that such a tendency "has pros and cons (depending on the situation), as almost any trait."
Zhang added, "We should welcome more studies of bisexuality and homosexuality," since the topic of natural variation in sexuality "is partly a biological question" and "we should understand it."