Genetic pattern determines a person's happy disposition--study

In what could be termed as the first step to unraveling the mysteries of what makes for a happy temperament, researchers have discovered that the secret lies in your genes.

According to geneticists, a person’s happiness and satisfaction in life is governed by a specific gene, 5-HTT in our DNA.

The 5-HTT gene comes in two variations, a long and short version and is involved with the transportion of serotonin, a chemical linked to depression and mood swings in humans.

The longer variant leads to more efficient release of serotonin, the “happiness drug” and creates a feeling of well-being.

Study author Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, a behavioural economist of the London School of Economics and Political Science stated, "It has long been suspected that this gene plays a role in mental health but this is the first study to show that it is instrumental in shaping our individual happiness levels."

Genetic make-up of 2574 people examined
With the prime objective to identify genetic variants linked to happiness, the researchers carried out a study.

They examined the genetic makeup of 2574 people whose medical histories were recorded for the U.S. National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.

They analysed the DNA of each participant for the presence of the specific gene 5-HTT. Since a set is inherited from both parents, the possible combinations of are 'long-long', 'long-short' or 'short-short'.

In addition, the study subjects were asked how they rated their level of happiness and well-being in life.

Their response to the queries was classified as either "very satisfied," "satisfied," "neither satisfied or dissatisfied," "dissatisfied" or "very dissatisfied".

Findings of the study
The researchers found people who inherited two long versions of the 5-HTT gene were the happiest compared to those with two short strands.

Among the 40 percent volunteers claiming to be “very satisfied” with life, 35.4 percent had two long variants of the gene and just 19.1 percent had two short strands.

On the other hand, in the group “dissatisfied with life”, 26.2 percent carried two long variants of the gene and 20 percent two short versions.

Mr De Neve stated, "The results of our study suggest a strong link between happiness and this functional variation in the 5-HTT gene.

"Of course, our well-being isn’t determined by this one gene – other genes and especially experience throughout the course of life will continue to explain the majority of variation in individual happiness.

"But this finding helps to explain why we each have a unique baseline level of happiness and why some people tend to be naturally happier than others, and that’s in no small part due to our individual genetic make-up."

The study is published in the 'Journal of Human Genetics.'