Finnish anthropologist Edvard Westernarck (1891) proposed that individuals raised in close domestic proximity during early childhood (typically the first 2–6 years) develop a mutual sexual aversion. This psychological mechanism, now supported by studies of Israeli kibbutzim and Chinese shim-pua marriages, reduces the likelihood of inbreeding and its associated genetic costs (Wolf, 1995). However, the Westernarck effect explains aversion , not the taboo as a cultural rule.
The incest taboo has a significant impact on society, extending beyond the realm of personal relationships: Incest Taboo 21 Lindsey Allen Fa