If you thought that happiness was given by the dimensions of your car or the volume of your bank account, the unparalleled beauty of your partner or a wonderful job, you may be missing an important detail that you have not considered... Happiness could actually be a genetic issue
Scientists say that 50 to 80% of our happiness is due to genetics and the rest of our life conditions have a limited effect, except in the case of trauma.
Why are some people happier than others, because some areas are happier than others? Some say that the social, cultural and economic environment matters. But some say that we owe our happiness to a gene with a strange name.
What is the role of the 5-HTTLPR gene?
Studies have found that it is a genetic instruction, a command that causes molecules to process serotonin and neurons to talk to each other. According to scientists, it is a gene that has a lot to do with our emotional ability to express feelings and sensations.
50 to 80% of our happiness is due to genetics
Researcher Meike Bartel, from the department of biology and psychology at Vrije University in Amsterdam, has found in a study of 12,000 people including identical twins, twins and siblings, that differences in individual levels of happiness can be explained by genetic differences in 40% of cases.
The Happiest Places
In the list of the 10 happiest countries in the world half of them are Nordic countries. It is usually Denmark the number one happiest place to live.
Aspects such as economic welfare, health service, access to education and are valued the most. But that's not all, apart from genetics, it depends on what the people consider important for their lives. You'd be surprised to find out that some Latin American countries that lack economic stability have been ranked as one of the happiest places in the world. The reason? For many Latin Americans, friendship, religion, or family relationships can be more important than standard of living, education, health, work, or housing.
Some scientists have long said that this is actually a genetic mutation that makes their population happier than others. However, many experts say that this is not the case and that it is the special economic, cultural and natural conditions that favor such happiness.
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