The personal development industry is growing rapidly, with research on positive psychology, that is, scientific studies on what influences people’s success and happiness. At the same time, rates of anxiety, depression and self-harm continue to rise worldwide.
According to a generally impactful article published in the Review of General Psychology in 2005, 50% of people’s happiness depends on their genes, 10% on their circumstances, and 40% on “deliberate activities” (basically whether you’re positive or not). . In other words, according to this article, if you are unhappy, it is largely due to your genes.
When this article was published, it was widely criticized. The reason for this was the “genetic part”. For decades, behavioral genetics researchers have studied twins and said that 40% to 50% of the change in their happiness is explained by genetics. Behavioral geneticists use twins in their studies because they use a statistical technique to predict genetic and environmental components based on people’s familial kinship. However, these numbers are based on the assumption that both identical twins and fraternal twins experience the same environment when they grow up together. Unfortunately, this assumption is not always true. This was exactly the reason for the criticism.
But can some of us be happy more easily and some of us not really be explained by genes?
Molecular genetics, the branch of science that studies the structure and functions of genes at the molecular level, shows that nature and upbringing constantly affect each other. Genes influence behaviors that help people choose their environment. For example, extroversion passed from parents to children helps children form friendship groups.
Likewise, the environment also changes gene expression. For example, when expectant mothers suffer famine, their babies’ genes change accordingly, creating chemical changes that suppress the production of growth factor. This can cause babies to be born smaller than normal and with conditions such as cardiovascular disease.
Some people are sensitive to their environment and therefore can dramatically change their thoughts, feelings and behaviors in response to both negative and positive events. Therefore, during a mental health study or reading a positive psychology book, they may be affected and experience significantly more changes than others, and this change may take longer.
Nature and upbringing are interconnected and constantly affect each other. For this reason, two people raised in the same environment may react differently, so the equal environment assumption of behavioral genetics is no longer valid. Also, whether people can be happier depends on their ‘environmental sensitivities’, that is, their capacity to change.
We are each as unique as our DNA and therefore have different capacities for happiness and fluctuations throughout life.
However, others who have greater genetic plasticity, meaning they are more sensitive to the environment and therefore have a greater capacity for change, can improve their well-being if they adopt a healthy lifestyle and choose to live and work in an environment that increases their happiness and ability to grow.
But even if genetics plays an important role in our happiness, it doesn’t determine who we are. More precisely, being happy or not depends more on the choices we make about where we live, who we live with, and how we live our lives, rather than genes. This affects both our happiness and the happiness of future generations. . .
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