Is Happiness Genetic?

by compound complex 22 Replies latest jw friends

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  compound complex

  Dear Friends,

  Happiness abounds of late on the board. That's all right. Idealism is great, tempered by reality.

  I've had friends and family that were perpetually gloomy [often with good reason], but also those who were GENERALLY upbeat. The happy ones had their share of grief but got through the tears with an eventual smile. Though very ill for most of his life, my father was always cheerful and encouraging. Makes me wonder if there's some genetic predisposition ...

  What do you think? Is there more than psychology involved in seeing the bright side?

  CoCo
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  changeling

  I'm a firm believer that personality is set at birth.

  Some personalities have a propensity to be gloomy, others upbeat.

  That being said, we are not doomed to unhappiness or perpetual cheer by our personality.

  We will all face positive and negative circumstances thoughout our lives, our personality to some extent will dictate how we deal with these.

  However, life is a learning process, we can all learn to deal with what life throws at us in a positive way, but some personalities find this harder to do than others.

  CoCo: did you take the test?

  changeling
• 

  misanthropic

  That's a great question CoCo. I've wondered such things as well but mostly because I know people who are constantly in a state of depression and unable to ever seem happy. I found this article clip in a Forbes write up and thought it was interesting...
  

  As economists, psychologists and biologists try to determine what makes a person happy or unhappy, one factor stands out as especially powerful. To a large degree, it seems, happiness is inherited.
  
  What Does A Consumer Really Want?
  And They Lived Happily Ever After
  Money Won't Buy You Happiness
  Putting A Price On Happiness
  The strongest evidence comes from a study of identical twins conducted by David Lykken, now a professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota. Some 60% of the likelihood that twins separated at birth will describe themselves as happy is accounted for by common genetic factors, not environmental differences in their lives.

  
  Here's the link to the article in it's entirety:
  
  http://www.forbes.com/2004/09/23/cx_mh_0923happiness.html
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  AuldSoul

  I sure as hell hope happiness isn't genetic. I was fourth generation JW paternally and maternally ... if happiness is genetic I am doomed to misery.
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  mentalclearness

  I don't know if it's a genetic thing or not...but I've often wondered why here in South America I see less people depressed and they seem to have more obvious hardships and problems. Whereas in other developed countries there seems to be more depression.....
• 

  changeling

  auldsoul: you are not doomed. You can learn to "accentuate the positive" regardless of your personality and backgoung. You just have to want to.

  changeling
• 

  *summer*

  I strongly believe happiness is our birthright.

  We are all born totally innocent and happy.

  Then, life happens...

  We get conditioning from family, school, religion, and what-not.

  It is what we make of all this conditioning that ultimately brings happiness or unhappiness.
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  compound complex

  I appreciate your fine replies, Friends.

  Will check out the link, Miss Ann [thank you!].

  Changeling,

  ENFJ - 75% feeling/56% intuitive - go figure! LOL!

  Thank you,

  CoCo
• 

  AuldSoul

  ENT/FP
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  restrangled

  Hi Coco,

  I definately think its genetic. My mother's entire family had an on going joke about themselves: If they weren't smiling they all looked like they were crying. Negativity was rampant from my grandmother on down. Her husband was a very cheerful person and she called him the "eternal optimist", meant as a negative description. My father was a very depressed individual. I inherited or learned a negative view point based on genes or my upbringing, but I try to fight it all the time.

  My husband on the other hand is a very cheerful upbeat person, so is his mom and family.

  The differences I see: Most of my relatives all have had some sort of cancer in their mid years and definately by their 70's. My husband's older relatives remained healthy and going strong well into their 80's or 90's.

  I also think the JW religion attracts negative individuals. They don't have to work at being happy, god is going to fix everything for them. Eventually it just seems to make them more miserable. Those that are cheerful individuals tend to get out!

  r.