A study by a Florida criminologist suggests the old adage birds of a feather flock together has a ring of truth when it comes to teenage boys.

Kevin M. Beaver of Florida State University said a study of family, peer and DNA data from 1,816 boys in middle and high school shows boys with a certain type of variation of the dopamine transporter gene, or DAT1, are more likely to flock to delinquent peers.

This research is groundbreaking because it shows that the propensity in some adolescents to affiliate with delinquent peers is tied up in the genome, Beaver said Wednesday in a news release.

The association between DAT1 and delinquent peer affiliation applied primarily for those who had both the 10-repeat allele and a high-risk family environment marked by a disengaged mother and an absence of maternal affection, the report said.

Beaver said the study provides empirical evidence that the social and family environment in an adolescent's life can either exacerbate or blunt genetic effects. (c) UPI