Genetic sexual attraction

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Genetic sexual attraction (GSA) is sexual attraction between close relatives, such as siblings, first and second cousins or a parent and offspring, who first meet as adults.^[1]

GSA may occur as a consequence of adoption, when the adopted children knowingly or unknowingly encounter biological relatives. Although this is a rare consequence of adoptive reunions, the large number of adoptive reunions in recent years means that a larger number of people (about half) are affected.^[2] If a sexual relationship is entered, it is known as incest, and may be distressing to both parties (see incest taboo). This phenomenon - siblings separated at birth and meeting only as adults and falling in incestuous love - is known in the folk epic, the Finnish national epic Kalevala and the tragic hero Kullervo being the prime example.

GSA does not occur between people raised together in early childhood, such as most siblings. This is due to the the Westermarck effect, which evolved to prevent incest.

Contributing factors

Several factors may contribute to GSA. People commonly rank faces similar to their own as more attractive, trustworthy, etc. than average.^{[citation needed]} Heredity produces substantial physical similarity between close relatives. However, Bereczkei (2004) attributes this in part to childhood imprinting on the opposite-sex parent. Shared interests and personality traits are commonly considered desirable in a mate. The heritability of these qualities is a matter of great debate; to whatever extent they are heritable, they will tend to cluster in close relatives. In cases of parent-child attraction, the parent may recognize traits of their sometime mate in the child. Such reunions typically produce complex emotions in all involved^[3].

In Germany

• In February 2007, there was a report that a brother and sister couple in Germany were fighting against anti-incest laws. They grew up separately, met as adults, and have had four children.^[4][5]

See also

In fiction, the heroine, Moll Flanders, as an adult nearly marries her brother.

Lord Byron (Romantic English poet) purportedly had GSA with a half-sister he met as an adult.

• Kin recognition
• Inbreeding

Notes

References

• Bereczkei, Tamas, et al. (2004). "Sexual imprinting in human mate choice". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 271 (1544): 1129–1134. doi:10.1098/rspb.2003.2672. http://www.journals.royalsoc.ac.uk/(d3345445hr2uftqbb1lyav55)/app/home/contribution.asp?referrer=parent&backto=issue,5,14;journal,49,221;linkingpublicationresults,1:102024,1. 

Further reading

• Greenberg, M., and Littlewood, R. (1995). "Post Adoption Incest and Phenotypic Matching: Experience, Personal Meanings and Biosocial Implications". British Journal of Medical Psychology 68: 29–44.