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Happiness is in the genes10 March, 2008 There is not much people or objects can do to make you happy; happiness is mostly a matter of the genes. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh, the United Kingdom, and the Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Brisbane, Australia, have found that a person’s personality and happiness are mostly hereditary and that happiness is partly determined by personality traits. The research, published in the March 2008 issue of the journal Psychological Science, studies over 900 pairs of twins. The researchers used the ‘Five Factor Model’ of personality to rate the twins. The five factor model measures neuroticism, extroversion, conscientiousness, openness and agreeableness. It was found that identical twins have a very similar personality and well-being, but fraternal twins are only around half as similar – suggesting that genes are mainly responsible for certain personality traits. The study found that those who are extroverted, conscientious and not very worried are likely to be happier and have a happiness buffer when times are tough. The study also said that while happiness was determined by genes, it was also affected by career, health or relationships. Professor Timothy Bates, one of the researchers, wrote in the Psychological Science, “This research is the beginnings of a new theory of happiness. It helps us understand what was otherwise a real puzzle. Why do people tend to show stable differences in happiness? It turns out that if we want to understand happiness, we will need to understand personality.” He said the latest research confirms that “most us are happy for much of the time, that we generally like who we are and we don't want to change too much.” The study could also shed some light on mood disorders such as depression. According to Dr Alexander Weiss, of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, who led the research, life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness is a core human desire. He added: “Though happiness is subject to a wide range of external influence, an inherited component of happiness can be entirely explained by genetic architecture of personality.” Australian media quoted Professor Robert Cummins, from the Australian Centre on Quality of Life at Deakin University in Melbourne, as responding to the new finding: “It is in our best interests to be positive, and personality has a ‘set point’ around which we maintain our well-being. The average person feels well-satisfied with himself and his life and that’s the average set point – even people with low set points feel positive. Remaining positive in your outlook is incredibly important; it gives you a motivation for doing something when you wake up in the morning and makes you get on with life and do things.”
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