Did you know that whether or not you are likely to give into peer pressure has a lot to do with your genes? According to recent research featured in a Science Daily release, this is a complicated issue for young women.

Conducted by Washington University in St. Louis, this research suggests that a young woman with a predisposition to substance abuse is also predisposed to select friends who smoke, drink or use drugs. This selection actually alters her environment to one that encourages drug use.

In addition, this genetically susceptible young woman with an increased exposure to substance-using friends increases her genetic inclination to use drugs regularly. As a result, her already increased likelihood of substance use and abuse is increased.

In a study of more than 2,000 female twins, researchers sought a link between two types of data: woman who regularly used tobacco, alcohol and drugs; and the women who have friends involved in regular substance use. Identified links showed that genetic vulnerability to regularly use substances is enhanced by an exposure to friends who use substances.

Adolescents will often select peers who share their same interests and will engage in the same behaviors. This study suggests that this peer selection has a genetic basis as one person’s predisposition to regular substance use is directly correlated with the likelihood of selecting friends who use the same substances.

In addition, those genetic factors that influence the likelihood of using drugs will also modify the likelihood of associating with friends who choose to do the same.