Over the years I have struggled in long-term relationships, like many, to maintain passion, interest and general fidelity. And although I have never received much in the means of solid advice from friends or family, a prairie vole -- or wild gerbil -- was recently able to give me more insight into the problem of "wandering eyes" than 10 years of late-night phone calls and teary breakups ever did.

Scientists at Emory University recently insolated and injected a "monogamy" gene into the normally promiscuous Microtus Pennnsylvanicus -- or prairie vole -- and were shocked to observe an instant shift in the creature toward "attentive homemaker." The vole chose and mated with only one female and was consistently unfazed by the furry eye-candy that once ruled his daily life. Being a Pennsylvania native myself, I took notice.

What was the vole's secret? Could a missing rung in your DNA ladder or a couple more milligrams of "B" complex make all men resemble Hugh Grant, or make every woman blind to their mates' ever-increasing hygiene issues? Could it solve America’s 40-percent divorce rate?

What I did discover was that the vole and myself, although both vegetarians and East Coast natives, seem to have some notable differences in chemistry. The voles were injected with a V1a gene that ultimately aids in the production of serotonin, a chemical released naturally by the body and in a flood of energy and euphoria by the club drug ecstasy. Now I can’t speak for a vole on "e" but I can chalk-up more than a couple failed relationships to the same rush of serotonin our furry friend seems to make wedding plans while on. Am I not going to the right prairie vole clubs or is there something more primitive at work?

Only three percent of men in the entire animal kingdom, us included, are entirely monogamous. Species such as the baboon, American buffalo and green monkey are some of the most "successful" in the world at maintaining their numbers and health, while the politically-correct three percent, such as the antelope and colobus monkey, move steadily toward extinction.

According to a recent study in the British Journal of Biology, birds, once thought to be the June and Ward Cleaver of the animal kingdom, were recently revealed to have as much as 55 percent of their offspring with mates outside the "nest."

"In avoiding extinction, it pays to be promiscuous," said biologist Justin Brashares in a June study in Conservation Biology.

And while I’ve never argued that some of my youthful indiscretions were motivated by a desire to save the human race, it does bring up a number of interesting questions. Why are we as human beings swimming feverishly upstream while projecting guilt and frustration on our mates for promiscuous tendencies that are clearly natural?

David Barash’s "The Myth of Monogamy" noted that 40 percent of men and 30 percent of women admitted to having at least one extramarital affair. The book says that one of the biggest causes of these flings is both men and women’s inability to speak comfortably and openly about the issue.

Now being a man, and imagining the response of most women, I’m not suggesting for a second that a simple face-to-face talk about your need for a little "variety" will either spice up your current relationship or open the door for what Utah considers a "Mormon marriage." In fact, I would sooner slow dance with a prairie vole than have that conversation with my girlfriend.

The reality is that people’s interests, goals and tastes are constantly changing. All that we can realistically expect from our mate is honesty, respect and a den to call our own.