Our Happiness Relies On Our Genes

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Our Happiness Relies On Our Genes

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/99448.php

Happiness in life is as much down to having the right genetic mix as

it is to personal circumstances according to a recent study.

Psychologists at the University of Edinburgh working with researchers

at Queensland Institute for Medical Research in Australia found that

happiness is partly determined by personality traits and that both

personality and happiness are largely hereditary.

Using a framework which psychologists use to rate personalities,

called the Five-Factor Model, the researchers found that people who

do not excessively worry, and who are sociable and conscientious tend

to be happier. They suggested that this personality mix can act as a

buffer when bad things happen, according to the study published inthe

March issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association

for Psychological Science.

The researchers used personality and happiness data on more than 900

twin pairs. They identified evidence for common genes which result in

certain personality traits and predispose people to happiness.

The findings suggest that those lucky enough to have the right

inherited personality mix have an 'affective reserve' of happiness

which can be called upon in stressful times or in times of recovery.

The researchers say that although happiness has its roots in our

genes, around 50 per cent of the differences between people in their

life happiness is still down to external factors such as

relationships, health and careers.

Dr Weiss, of the University of Edinburgh's School of

Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, who led the research

said: " Together with life and liberty, the pursuit of happiness is a

core human desire. Although happiness is subject to a wide range of

external influences we have found that there is a heritable component

of happiness which can be entirely explained by genetic architecture

of personality. "