Feeling glum? It could all be down to your blue genes

Feeling glum? It could all be down to your blue genes

By FIONA MACRAE
Last updated at 1:53 AM on 25th February 2009

If you're one of life's miseries, whose glass always seems half empty, at least you now have someone to blame. Your parents.

You'll be cheered to discover - or perhaps not - that the genes we inherit determine whether we tend to accentuate the positive.

The finding that there really are born optimists could help explain why some people have a spring in their step, while others like nothing better than a good grumble.


The way you see life - half-empty or half-full - is all to do with your parents' genes, new research says

Professor Elaine Fox, of Essex University, said: 'We have shown for the first time that a genetic variation is linked with the tendency to look on the bright side of life.

'This is a key mechanism underlying resilience to general life stress. The absence of this protection is linked with heightened susceptibility to anxiety and depression.'

She showed 97 men and women pairs of pictures - a positive one such as a picture of chocolate, or a negative one such as a spider, paired with an emotionally neutral image.

They were tested to see which version they carried of the 5-HTTLPR gene, which affects levels of the 'feel-good' chemical serotonin.

Most had two 'short' versions or a 'long' and a 'short' one. But 16 had two 'long' versions.
Those lucky few picked the positive images and avoided the negative ones, the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B said.

But Professor Fox said that while genes were important, a person's life does a lot to shape their personality.

She explained that a particular combination of genes 'shifts people in one direction or another but how much depends on life experiences'.

Studies have shown that optimism is good for health, with pessimists more likely to die young.

People who have a gloomy outlook are also more likely to suffer problems with their health, ranging from aches and pains to mental illness, heart attacks and strokes.

Genes and lifestyle undoubtedly play a role in the development of disease. However, optimists are probably more likely to follow their doctor's advice, while a pessimist may simply give up.

Looking on the bright side can also cut stress - and its drain on the immune system.

Tips for turning into an optimist include surrounding yourself with upbeat people and making a note of three positive things that happen to you each day.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1154786/Feeling-glum-It-blue-genes.html