Is your partner the cuddling type?

If you think your partner is not the caring type, then he probably must be lacking the ‘cuddle gene’. To determine if your man has the ‘cuddle gene’, just pour out your problems to him – but don’t worry about what advice he gives.

Instead, observe very vigilantly on how he looks when he’s
listening to you.

Researchers have asserted that the men who nod, smile and appear sympathetic when hearing about someone else’s worries are more likely to have the ‘cuddle gene’ that makes them kind and considerate partners, the Daily Mail reported.

hugScientists from the U.S. and Canada recorded 23 volunteers listening as their partner described a moment of suffering.

This video was then shown, without sound, to total strangers for not more than 20 seconds, after which they were asked to rate how kind, caring and trustworthy the listener seemed.

Those men and women who were rated the most warm-hearted by more than 100 people tended to have a gene linked with high levels of oxytocin, the so-called ‘caring hormone’ which is known to be linked with sensitivity and consideration for others.

“Our findings suggest that even slight genetic variation may have tangible impact on people’s behaviour, and that these behavioural differences are quickly noticed by others,” said lead author Aleksandr Kogan, University of Toronto.

Genetic tests of all the couples were taken before recording their videos to verify which type of oxytocin receptor gene they possessed – either the G version which is linked with caring behaviour or the A version which is associated with selfishness and poor social skills. They could also have AG, a combination of the two.

Out of the 10 people rated by strangers as the least caring and trusted, nine had just the A version while out of those who were rated as the most caring– six out of 10 had just the G version.

The link between being rated as caring and having the G version of the gene was most specific in men.

The study has been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.