http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7278853.stm
Genes 'play key happiness role'
Our level of happiness throughout life is strongly influenced by the genes with
which we were born, say experts.
An Edinburgh University study of identical and non-identical twins suggests
genes may control half the personality traits keeping us happy.
The other half is linked to lifestyle, career and relationships.
However, another expert said despite the research in the journal Psychological
Science, we can still train ourselves to be more content.
Psychologists have developed several methods to assess a person's personality
type - and even their level of happiness.
The Edinburgh study, in conjunction with researchers at the Institute for
Medical Research in Queensland, Australia, looked at results from 900 pairs of
twins.
The idea behind twin studies is that, because identical twins are genetically
exactly the same, while fraternal twins are not, it is possible, by comparing
the results from the two groups to calculate how strongly influenced a
particular trait is by genetics.
In this case, the researchers looked for people who tended not to worry, and
who were sociable and conscientious.
All three of these separate characteristics have been linked by other research
to an overall sense of happiness or well-being.
The differences between the results from the identical and fraternal twins
suggested that these traits were influenced up to 50% by genetic factors.
Positive psychology
Dr Alexander Weiss, from 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 there is a heritable component of happiness which can be entirely
explained by genetic architecture of personality."
The science of happiness is a growing field, with demand from both the public
and industry for insights into emotional wellbeing.
The Centre for Applied Positive Psychology promotes research into techniques
for boosting personal contentment.
Dr Alex Linley, from the centre, said that even though other studies supported
the genetic argument, it was wrong for anyone to think that nature had dealt
them a fixed hand in happiness terms.
He said: "What it means is that, rather than a single point, people have a
range of possible levels of happiness - and it is perfectly possible to
influence this with techniques that are empirically proven to work.
"Simple things, like listing your strengths and using them in new ways every
day, or keeping a journal where you write down, every night, three things that
you are grateful for, have been shown to deliver improvements."
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