ATLANTA (WAOK) -   A new study suggests that in many cases a woman’s desire to be thin may be triggered by genetics.  The authors of the study concluded that in approximately 40-percent of the cases the desire to be thin may be explained by certain genes.

However, Michigan State University clinical psychology graduate student Jessica Suisman says what remains unknown is what those underlying genetics are.

She adds that there may be a small effect from several different genes.

Research suggests that genetics play a role in certain personality factors, such as whether a person is a perfectionist.

The same genes may also make a woman susceptible to the thin-ideal.  The study is published in the “International Journal of Eating Disorders.”