Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2012 — The happiness gene might have been discovered, but sorry guys — it's only relevant for women.
A study published in July 2012 in the journal Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry found that the gene MAOA, also known as the "warrior gene" for its association with alcoholism, aggressiveness and antisocial behavior, is linked to higher levels of happiness in adult females.
"This is the first-ever identified happiness gene for women," said lead author Henian Chen, Ph.D at the University of South Florida. "This is important because there are many studies on abnormal people with MDD, anxiety disorder and personality disorders. We need more studies on the psychology for normal people, because most of us are normal."
Chen's team studied data on 193 women and 152 men. All the participants had taken part in a mental health study, and their DNA analyzed for MAOA gene variation. Happiness was measured by a widely used and validated happiness scale developed by researchers at the University of California Riverside. Researchers controlled for various factors including age, education and income.
The results showed women with the MAOA gene were happier than women without it. While men carry the same gene — it's been called the "warrior gene" by some scientists who have studied its possible impact — it didn't seem to lead to greater happiness in men with the active variety than in those without it.
One reason researchers think gender makes a difference is because women have lower testosterone levels then men — they speculate high testosterone levels neutralize the happiness effects of MAOA.
Chen said he was surprised by the result because the MAOA gene was negatively associated with alcoholism, aggressiveness and antisocial behavior.
And if you're wondering, turns out money can't buy happiness. Chen found that folks weren't any happier once their income increased. "Our results show that income is not an independent predictor of human happiness," he said. Unemployment, however, was shown to decrease happiness in test subjects.
Chen said it’s important to further study the impact specific genes have on our well-being.
Studies of identical twins raised in different environments "estimate genetic factors account for 35 to 50 percent of the variance in human happiness," he said. "There must be some specific genes that relate to our happiness."
Last Updated: 8/29/2012