Editing Happiness (section)

==Genetics and heritability==

{{as of|2016}}, no evidence of happiness causing improved physical health has been found; the topic is being researched at the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness at the [[Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health]].<ref name="harvardmaggudrais">{{cite news|last1=Gudrais|first1=Elizabeth|title=Can Happiness Make You Healthier?|url=https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2016/11/can-happiness-make-you-healthier|access-date=15 October 2017|work=Harvard Magazine|date=November–December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016013700/https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2016/11/can-happiness-make-you-healthier|archive-date=16 October 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
A positive relationship has been suggested between the volume of the brain's gray matter in the right [[precuneus]] area and one's subjective happiness score.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=The structural neural substrate of subjective happiness |journal=Scientific Reports |volume=5 |page=16891 |doi=10.1038/srep16891 |pmid=26586449 |pmc=4653620 |date=20 November 2015 |last1=Toichi |first1=Motomi |last2=Yoshimura |first2=Sayaka |last3=Sawada |first3=Reiko |last4=Kubota |first4=Yasutaka |last5=Uono |first5=Shota |last6=Kochiyama |first6=Takanori |last7=Sato |first7=Wataru |bibcode=2015NatSR...516891S }}</ref>

[[Sonja Lyubomirsky]] has estimated that 50 percent of a given human's happiness level could be genetically determined, 10 percent is affected by life circumstances and situation, and a remaining 40 percent of happiness is subject to self-control.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Okbay |first1=Aysu |last2=Baselmans |first2=Bart M L |last3=De Neve |first3=Jan-Emmanuel |last4=Turley |first4=Patrick |last5=Nivard |first5=Michel G |last6=Fontana |first6=Mark Alan |last7=Meddens |first7=S Fleur W |last8=Linnér |first8=Richard Karlsson |last9=Rietveld |first9=Cornelius A |last10=Derringer |first10=Jaime |last11=Gratten |first11=Jacob |last12=Lee |first12=James J |last13=Liu |first13=Jimmy Z |last14=de Vlaming |first14=Ronald |last15=Ahluwalia |first15=Tarunveer S |last16=Buchwald |first16=Jadwiga |last17=Cavadino |first17=Alana |last18=Frazier-Wood |first18=Alexis C |last19=Furlotte |first19=Nicholas A |last20=Garfield |first20=Victoria |last21=Geisel |first21=Marie Henrike |last22=Gonzalez 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|last53=Willems |first53=Sara M |last54=Zhao |first54=Wei |last55=Amin |first55=Najaf |last56=Bakshi |first56=Andrew |last57=Bergmann |first57=Sven |last58=Bjornsdottir |first58=Gyda |last59=Boyle |first59=Patricia A |last60=Cherney |first60=Samantha |last61=Cox |first61=Simon R |last62=Davies |first62=Gail |last63=Davis |first63=Oliver S P |last64=Ding |first64=Jun |last65=Direk |first65=Nese |last66=Eibich |first66=Peter |last67=Emeny |first67=Rebecca T |last68=Fatemifar |first68=Ghazaleh |last69=Faul |first69=Jessica D |last70=Ferrucci |first70=Luigi |last71=Forstner |first71=Andreas J |last72=Gieger |first72=Christian |last73=Gupta |first73=Richa |last74=Harris |first74=Tamara B |last75=Harris |first75=Juliette M |last76=Holliday |first76=Elizabeth G |last77=Hottenga |first77=Jouke-Jan |last78=De Jager |first78=Philip L |last79=Kaakinen |first79=Marika A |last80=Kajantie |first80=Eero |last81=Karhunen |first81=Ville |last82=Kolcic |first82=Ivana |last83=Kumari |first83=Meena |last84=Launer |first84=Lenore J |last85=Franke |first85=Lude |last86=Li-Gao |first86=Ruifang |last87=Liewald |first87=David C |last88=Koini |first88=Marisa |last89=Loukola |first89=Anu |last90=Marques-Vidal |first90=Pedro |last91=Montgomery |first91=Grant W |last92=Mosing |first92=Miriam A |last93=Paternoster |first93=Lavinia |last94=Pattie |first94=Alison |last95=Petrovic |first95=Katja E |last96=Pulkki-Råback |first96=Laura |last97=Quaye |first97=Lydia |last98=Räikkönen |first98=Katri |last99=Rudan |first99=Igor |display-authors=1 |last100=Scott |first100=Rodney J |last101=Smith |first101=Jennifer A |last102=Sutin |first102=Angelina R |last103=Trzaskowski |first103=Maciej |last104=Vinkhuyzen |first104=Anna E |last105=Yu |first105=Lei |last106=Zabaneh |first106=Delilah |last107=Attia |first107=John R |last108=Bennett |first108=David A |last109=Berger |first109=Klaus |last110=Bertram |first110=Lars |last111=Boomsma |first111=Dorret I |last112=Snieder |first112=Harold |last113=Chang 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|last141=Metspalu |first141=Andres |last142=Mills |first142=Melinda |last143=de Mutsert |first143=Renée |last144=Oldehinkel |first144=Albertine J |last145=Pasterkamp |first145=Gerard |last146=Pedersen |first146=Nancy L |last147=Plomin |first147=Robert |last148=Polasek |first148=Ozren |last149=Power |first149=Christine |last150=Rich |first150=Stephen S |last151=Rosendaal |first151=Frits R |last152=den Ruijter |first152=Hester M |last153=Schlessinger |first153=David |last154=Schmidt |first154=Helena |last155=Svento |first155=Rauli |last156=Schmidt |first156=Reinhold |last157=Alizadeh |first157=Behrooz Z |last158=Sørensen |first158=Thorkild I A |last159=Spector |first159=Tim D |last160=Starr |first160=John M |last161=Stefansson |first161=Kari |last162=Steptoe |first162=Andrew |last163=Terracciano |first163=Antonio |last164=Thorsteinsdottir |first164=Unnur |last165=Thurik |first165=A Roy |last166=Timpson |first166=Nicholas J |last167=Tiemeier |first167=Henning |last168=Uitterlinden |first168=André G |last169=Vollenweider |first169=Peter |last170=Wagner |first170=Gert G |last171=Weir |first171=David R |last172=Yang |first172=Jian |last173=Conley |first173=Dalton C |last174=Smith |first174=George Davey |last175=Hofman |first175=Albert |last176=Johannesson |first176=Magnus |last177=Laibson |first177=David I |last178=Medland |first178=Sarah E |last179=Meyer |first179=Michelle N |last180=Pickrell |first180=Joseph K |last181=Esko |first181=Tõnu |last182=Krueger |first182=Robert F |last183=Beauchamp |first183=Jonathan P |last184=Koellinger |first184=Philipp D |last185=Benjamin |first185=Daniel J |last186=Bartels |first186=Meike |last187=Cesarini |first187=David |last188=Cesarini |first188=D |title=Genetic variants associated with subjective well-being, depressive symptoms, and neuroticism identified through genome-wide analyses |journal=Nature Genetics |date=June 2016 |volume=48 |issue=6 |pages=624–633 |doi=10.1038/ng.3552 |pmid=27089181 |pmc=4884152 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bartels |first1=Meike |title=Genetics of Wellbeing and Its Components Satisfaction with Life, Happiness, and Quality of Life: A Review and Meta-analysis of Heritability Studies |journal=Behavior Genetics |date=March 2015 |volume=45 |issue=2 |pages=137–156 |doi=10.1007/s10519-015-9713-y |pmid=25715755 |pmc=4346667 }}</ref>

When discussing genetics and their effects on individuals it is important to first understand that genetics do not predict behavior. It is possible for genes to increase the likelihood of individuals being happier compared to others, but they do not 100 percent predict behavior.

At this point in scientific research, it has been hard to find a lot of evidence to support this idea that happiness is affected in some way by genetics. In a 2016 study, Michael Minkov and Michael Harris Bond found that a gene by the name of SLC6A4 was not a good predictor of happiness level in humans.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Minkov |first1=Michael |last2=Bond |first2=Michael Harris |title=A Genetic Component to National Differences in Happiness |journal=Journal of Happiness Studies |date=April 2017 |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=321–340 |doi=10.1007/s10902-015-9712-y |s2cid=54717193 }}</ref>

On the other hand, there have been many studies that have found genetics to be a key part in predicting and understanding happiness in humans.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bartels, Boomsma |first=Meike, Dorret I. |date=3 September 2009 |title=Born to be Happy? The Etiology of Subjective Well-Being |journal=Behavior Genetics |volume=39 |issue=6 |pages=605–615 |doi=10.1007/s10519-009-9294-8 |pmid=19728071 |pmc=2780680 }}</ref> In a review article discussing many studies on genetics and happiness, they discussed the common findings.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bang Nes, Røysamb |first=Ragnhild, Espen |date=28 July 2016 |title=Happiness in Behaviour Genetics: An Update on Heritability and Changeability |journal=Journal of Happiness Studies |volume=18 |issue=5 |pages=1533–1552 |doi=10.1007/s10902-016-9781-6 |s2cid=145034246 |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10902-016-9781-6 |access-date=18 March 2022 |archive-date=18 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220318050646/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10902-016-9781-6 |url-status=live }}</ref> The author found an important factor that has affected scientist findings this being how happiness is measured. For example, in certain studies when subjective wellbeing is measured as a trait heredity is found to be higher, about 70 to 90 percent. In another study, 11,500 unrelated genotypes were studied, and the conclusion was the heritability was only 12 to 18 percent. Overall, this article found the common percent of heredity was about 20 to 50 percent.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nes |first1=Ragnhild Bang |last2=Røysamb |first2=Espen |title=Happiness in Behaviour Genetics: An Update on Heritability and Changeability |journal=Journal of Happiness Studies |date=October 2017 |volume=18 |issue=5 |pages=1533–1552 |doi=10.1007/s10902-016-9781-6 |s2cid=145034246 }}</ref>