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I am always really interested in the idea of happiness. There is something so desirable about being happy and yet happiness is so subjective and so not black-and-white that it fascinates me. I know I am not alone because the number of studies that try to determine what makes us happy and books written about this subject seems to grow every year. (I recently posted here about new job satisfaction and happinness research.)
So here’s another one: According to an article in Time magazine, several new studies suggest that our genes (and our age) have a lot more to do with our happiness level than our efforts to be happy:
In one study, researchers at the University of Edinburgh suggest that genes account for about 50% of the variation in people’s levels of happiness — the underlying determinant being genetically determined personality traits, like “being sociable, active, stable, hardworking and conscientious.”
The gene part make a lot of sense to me, actually. My dad is generally a happy person, my mom, not so much, and I am some of each — I can get down and feel anxious and stressed, but there are many things in life that I am really happy about. But I found it interesting that the study assumed that the happiness-causing personality traits are determined by genes and can’t be acquired. Can we not become more hardworking, sociable, or conscientious than what our DNA has provided for us?
I’m curious what you think about this. Can you change your innate personality traits or do you think we’re stuck with what we’re born with? Do you think you can do things to be happier? What are they?
This entry was posted on Sunday, March 23rd, 2008 at 2:24 pm and is filed under Your life.
Tags: happiness, how to be happy
March 23rd, 2008 at 4:20 pm
It’s a fascinating question. I’m of two minds about it. On the one hand, I often think that people have a tendency to believe they have more control over their lives than they really do, and spend a lot of their time and energy trying to change things that are out of their hands. Having said that, though, I do believe we can change our own behaviors and perspective on the world, and the effects of those changes can re-shape some of our personality traits.
I think it’s useful and interesting to learn that there are biological bases for many personality traits, but at the same time I’d really hate to think that everything is hard-wired programming and we can’t affect it. I also think that knowing there’s a genetic or biological component to certain traits, even if they’re less desirable ones, sometimes gives people an excuse NOT to try to change them.
I do believe in the idea that people have a happiness “set point,” and that varies by person and probably is strongly affected by biology. But you’re right about happiness being largely subjective, too - so why NOT try to be happier?
March 24th, 2008 at 8:28 am
I believe that perspective has a lot to do with innate happiness. I know people who truly believe that the world is sort of a dark place where they must strive to fight against unnamed powers. That has got to take a lot of energy, constantly being on guard against unnamed unseen others who have no one’s best interests at heart but their own. I believe, on the other hand, that the world is essentially a good place and that people can only hurt me if I give them the power to do so. I’m also a you-create-your-own-reality fan, which means I know I have the ability to create around me what I most want to learn.
That last can work two ways, of course, and can lead to a lot of frustration until you learn to work in conjunction with ALL of you, your inner wants (that you may not be totally in touch with) and your outer ones. Simply trying to be happier without addressing that can lead to a lot of frustration, like putting a bandaid over a gushing wound.
The best way to happiness, in my opinion, is being as much as possible as much of YOU as possible. There’s a lot of soul-searching necessary to get there, though, to find out who that YOU really is.
That’s not to say that we’re not affected by genetics; certainly there’s an influence from parents genetically, leading to certain potentialities in terms of worldview and responses to disappointments, etc, but I believe too that it’s possible to work through all that and to be YOU despite any early influence or genetic influence otherwise.
March 24th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
I’m reading a book right now that addresses this idea of the “happiness setpoint”. The book is called “Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out” by Marci Shimoff. The author suggests that it’s never too late to change our habitual ways (even pessimistic thinking) but that it certainly takes effort and tenacity. Our happiness is affected to a large degree by our thoughts (as in, the automatic, negative ones), so the habit changes the author talks about have a lot to do with changing our thoughts.
I think with practice I can become a much more optimistic person. But I bet I work harder at it than someone whose happiness setpoint is naturally higher.
March 24th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
So fascinating. Hmm, I can see the logic there - that we are hard-wired to be a certain way. First, I guess my response would be we are genetically hard-wired to do/be lots of things, but that doesn’t stop us from trying to do/be something else, right? Second, in a way I find it sort of a relief to think of it in terms of genetic hard-wiring. For example, I’m always the glass-half-empty to my husband’s upbeat glass-overflowing personality. Makes me feel better to think it’s just an inherent personality trait thing…less of a defective personality issue.
Third, yes, I do things daily to be happier like try to relax and be in the moment, to think how much I have to be grateful for, and to recognize beautiful things around me that we normally take for granted. Like - this may sound weird - red stop lights. Normally a source of irritation for most people and for me, too, until I took up the practice of looking at them in a positive light: they’re pretty, they remind me of Xmas tree lights, they are a chance to stop and relax for a minute before continuing a journey. I tell you: it has really worked!! So short answer: I think it is a personality issue, but we can tweak our personalities with a little effort. Great post!