Imagine that. A "reserve" of happiness that can be called upon in times of stress of crisis. I wonder if one day, scientists will be able to quantify this reserve so that human beings would, in effect, be able to keep track of how much "happiness stock" they have left. Sounds like an interesting premise for a science fiction movie.Psychologists at Edinburgh University found that inherited genes control up to half of the personality traits that keep us happy.
The group, working with researchers in Australia, studied nearly 1000 pairs of twins.
They built up a picture of each individual's personality by assessing factors such as how sociable and outgoing they were, or how anxious or angry they feel.
The group were able to identify evidence of common genes that result in certain personality traits, which in turn predispose people to happiness.
It is believed that those who inherit the right mix of personality genes build an "affective reserve" of happiness which can be called on in times of stress or act as a buffer when things go wrong.
Two things I can remark on about this. First, this officially gives credence to every time someone says that life "dealt me a crummy hand." I have a feeling that if studies like these become more legit, we'll be seeing more people bottom out. But this is thinking way into the long-run.
Of course, fifty percent of happiness being environmental has some deeper implications. It means that, despite a supposedly genetic component, knowing the right tricks to lead a happier life can probably hold a substantial influence over that other component. The article mentions that scientists are working to identify how behavior and positive psychology can influence happiness. So, don't fret all you sad ones.
2 comments:
I gave my students that article to read in order to start a class debate and they thought it was complete bullshit. It was pretty funny what they thought, they have a lot of circular arguments.
I think you guys have hit an important point when focusing on the "environment" aspect.
It's important to look at genetics as more of providing the tools to act in a certain predisposition. A person may have the traits to be aggressive, but this can be steered either as a determined individual or a violent one. In the same token, a happy person may be genuinely overjoyed or looking at things in a positive light, but at the same time may be shallowin personality (i.e. feeling one way because of the predisposition, but after countless experiences may be hiding something darker).
These things are also not set in stone. Experiences may also change the molecular mechanisms behind how one behaves or feels, particularly after traumatic instances, and there is some evidence supporting this notion. It's also a "convenient" theory, particularly after seeing distinct behavioral changes in people after life-altering events (i.e. war, "finding God," and so forth).
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