Today more than ever, people are curious about their family tree and heritage. With companies able to do DNA testing easier than ever before, it's no wonder that people are willing to pay hundreds of dollars to see where they are from.
While it may seem like a harmless and fun idea for someone to do (and in most cases, it is), there are actually interesting secrets that someone can discover about themselves through these tests.
While a lot of us are blessed with large families to tell us stories, that isn't the case for everyone. Sometimes, people go through this so they can figure out more about their family tree.
Essentially, you swab yourself to get your own DNA and ship it back to the company. Then, they're able to match and trace your DNA to find out where you came from and what your nationality is.
This can be both good and bad. For some people, finding out you have more family can be a wonderful thing. For others, it can mean that someone they loved had a secret family.
Stephen LaConte is a BuzzFeed contributor who often gets questions and messages from people seeking advice on a variety of things. Recently, he received a message from someone who had done a 23 and Me DNA test and uncovered a dark family secret.
But she has never heard about this aunt, which means that their grandfather had to have had an affair. There is no other explanation for it, since they're under the assumption no one knows about this person.
According to the message, she said her father and his siblings have no idea that they have a half-sister out there. She is unsure if she should tell them or if she should just leave it.
Since her grandfather is getting older, the social media user considered letting them all know the truth after he passes away. However, if not, she doesn't want everyone else to find out on their own and then blame her for not telling them sooner.
Stephen said to make sure that this person really IS their aunt. He pointed out these DNA companies often match you with "potential" family members, but not everything is always 100%. Who knew?
"What's your relationship like with your father? He would presumably be the first person you'd bring this information to, if anyone. Let's say the two of you have a talk-every-day, tell-each-other-everything kind of dynamic. Well, then I think it would be difficult for you to withhold something this major from him," Stephen pointed out.
Some BuzzFeed users said that situations like this are tricky because it's not only your family who is at stake but another person and their life. They could be disrupting a peaceful and quiet life if they seek this person out.
Pretty intense stuff, am I right? Goes to show that not every DNA test is a fun idea for people to do!
