CEP Discussion Paper No 1127 February 2012 Genes , Economics , and Happiness Jan - Emmanuel
نویسندگان
چکیده
A major finding from research into the sources of subjective well-being is that individuals exhibit a “baseline” level of happiness. We explore the influence of genetic variation by employing a twin design and genetic association study. We first show that about 33% of the variation in happiness is explained by genes. Next, using two independent data sources, we present evidence that individuals with a transcriptionally more efficient version of the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) report significantly higher levels of life satisfaction. These results are the first to identify a specific gene that is associated with happiness and suggest that behavioral models benefit from integrating genetic variation. JEL Classifications: A12, D03, D87, Z00
منابع مشابه
CEP Discussion Paper No 1126 February 2012 Happiness as a Driver of Risk - Avoiding Behavior
Most governments try to discourage their citizens from taking extreme risks with their health and lives. Yet, for reasons not understood, many people continue to do so. We suggest a new approach to this longstanding question. First, we show that expected-utility theory predicts that ‘happier’ people will be less attracted to risky behaviors. Second, using BRFSS data on seatbelt use in a sample ...
متن کاملGenes , Economics , and Happiness Jan
Research on happiness has produced valuable insights into the sources of subjective well-being that are of importance to economics. A major finding from this literature is that people exhibit a “baseline” level of happiness that shows persistent strength over time. Here we explore the extent to which baseline happiness is influenced by genetic variation. Using data from Add Health, we employ a ...
متن کاملxxxGenes, Economics, and Happiness Working Paper No. 2010- 24 CREMA Gellertstrasse 18 CH- 4052 Basel www.crema-research.chGenes, Economics, and Happiness ∗
Research on happiness has produced valuable insights into the sources of subjective well-being that are of importance to economics. A major finding from this literature is that people exhibit a “baseline” level of happiness that shows persistent strength over time. Here we explore the extent to which baseline happiness is influenced by genetic variation. Using data from Add Health, we employ a ...
متن کاملGenes, Economics, and Happiness.
We explore the influence of genetic variation on subjective well-being by employing a twin design and genetic association study. In a nationally-representative twin sample, we first show that about 33% of the variation in life satisfaction is explained by genetic variation. Although previous studies have shown that baseline happiness is significantly heritable, little research has considered mo...
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1Department of Statistics, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom Present address: Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit, Institute of Public Health, University Forvie Site, Robinson Way, Cambridge, CB2 0SR, UK. 2The Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Department of Statistics and Centre for Complexity Science, University of Warwick, Coventry, Uni...
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