- American scientists said individuals who derive their happiness from a sense of purpose showed favourable gene-expression profiles in their immune cells
- UCLA research found people with high levels of the type of happiness that comes from consuming goods showed weak antiviral genes
- Doing good and feeling good have very
different effects on the human genome, even though they generate similar
levels of positive emotion
By
Sarah Griffiths
11:39 EST, 30 July 2013
|
11:41 EST, 30 July 2013
People who derive their happiness from helping others, like Mother Teresa, have strong antibody genes, UCLA scientists claim
American scientists have found different types of happiness have surprisingly contrary effects on our genes.
UCLA research found that people who derive their happiness from helping others have strong antibody genes, while people who get their kicks from self-gratification can suffer from low antiviral and anitbody gene expression.
The study, which also involved the University of North Carolina, is the first of its kind to examine how positive psychology impacts human gene expression.
People who are do-gooders have high levels of ‘eudaimonic well-being’.
They derive their happiness from a deep sense of purpose and meaning in life showed favourable gene-expression profiles in their immune cells.
Those studied from this happiness group had low levels of inflammatory gene expression and strong antibody and antiviral genes.
However, individuals who have high levels of ‘hedonic well-being’ – the type of happiness that comes from consuming goods and self-gratification – showed the opposite.
This group of people showed high inflammation and weak antibody and antiviral genes.
The study’s findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The research, led by Steven Cole, a UCLA professor of medicine and Barbara L. Fredrickson of the University of North Carolina, has taken a decade.
The scientists have looked at how the human genome responds to fear, stress, misery and other negative mental states, but focused on how human genes might respond to positive psychology in this study.
They studied the biological implications of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being through some 21,000 genes.
Previous research found immune cells
show a shift in baseline gene expression profiles during times of
uncertainty, stress and fear.
The
shift is characteristised by an increased expression of genes involved
in inflammation and less of those involved in antiviral and antibody
functions.
Individuals who had high levels of ‘hedonic well-being’ – the type of happiness that comes from consuming goods (pictured) showed high inflammation and weak antibody and antiviral genes
Professor Cole believes the response probably evolved to help human immune systems cope with the changing nature of microbial threat associated with changing social and environmental conditions at the time.
The threats included bacterial infection from wounds produced by fighting and increased risk of viral infections as people lived closer together and became more sociable.
Professor Cole said: ‘In contemporary society and our very
different environment, chronic activation by social or symbolic threats
can promote inflammation and cause cardiovascular, neurodegenerative and
other diseases and can impair resistance to viral infections.’
In the present study, the researchers
drew blood samples from 80 healthy adults who were assessed for hedonic
and eudaimonic well-being, as well as negative psychological and
behavioral factors.
The study concluded that doing good and feeling good have very different effects on the human genome, even though they generate similar levels of positive emotion. Human chromosomes under a scanning probe microscope are pictured
The team used the gene-expression profile to map the potentially distinct biological effects of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being.
The study found people with eudaimonic well-being showed favorable gene-expression profiles in their immune cells and those with hedonic well-being showed an adverse gene-expression profile.
But interestingly professor Cole said: ‘People with high levels of hedonic well-being didn’t feel any worse than those with high levels of eudaimonic well-being.’
‘Both seemed to have the same high levels of positive emotion. However, their genomes were responding very differently even though their emotional states were similarly positive.’
‘What this study tells us is that doing good and feeling good have very different effects on the human genome, even though they generate similar levels of positive emotion.
‘Apparently, the human genome is much more sensitive to different ways of achieving happiness than are conscious minds.’
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sometimes in your heart you want to do good but its not easy when you are surrounded by bad people
Truth is truth
,
London,
31/7/2013 02:53
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Its simple. Act positive, think positive and be positive and you will be healthy. Act miserable, be nasty and think negatively and you will get ill. Fact.- Norris, York, 30/7/2013 —————-Silly platitude.There are THOUSANDS of positive-minded people who get ill everyday and even die from those illnesses. Fact!
Miss Amelia
,
Brooklyn,
31/7/2013 01:27
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Material possessions are not important when it comes to happiness. I believe the key to happiness and fulfillment is knowledge and the choices that knowledge gives us. Reading, learning and appreciating knowledge is essential in order for people to find their place in the world and have a purpose in life. People must choose the right path, they need to be rational and choose lives of wisdom, courage, moderation and justice; not foolishness, cowardice, lack of self control and injustice and then they would be truly at peace with themselves and happy (thus leading to good health). If people choose to be morally and spiritually fit and carry out good deeds selflessly, happiness would shine through in their characters (as it does in the photo of Mother Teresa).
Pookie
,
London, United Kingdom,
31/7/2013 00:07
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So the Germans have all died out after WWI, WWII, and communist dictatorship for 40 years?
TakeASecondLook
,
Manchester, United Kingdom,
30/7/2013 22:54
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Its simple. Act positive, think positive and be positive and you will be healthy. Act miserable, be nasty and think negatively and you will get ill. Fact.
– Norris, York, 30/7/2013 20:07
Is not as simple as you describe it. Even if you are a positive person, if you live in an area with negative, simple minded people who ‘dislike’ you for not being like them, slowly, slowly it will affect you. If you have neighbours who come to London simply to party or live the high life and you decided to move from one place to another to then discover you live near people who party all the time because they are on benefits, what do you do? Ah, move to Tahiti? If you are a genetically happy person, you still need a happy environment to survive, which for the majority of people can be pretty difficult.
ti
,
ta, United Kingdom,
30/7/2013 22:33
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I am generally a relatively negative person. Which is sad. The last month I have been being more positive, doing things I don’t want to to please others. It has made me feel happier and given me more energy. Life is to short. Smile and the world smiles back
Doodle
,
Sussex,
30/7/2013 22:13
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If the coalition was dissolved, I think the whole of Britain would be much happier and healthier. If we had a referendum on the EU, we would be ecstatic.
Maatkare
,
Cardiff,
30/7/2013 21:55
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So my love of spending on clothes is why I get ill often I guess.
Josiejo
,
London, United Kingdom,
30/7/2013 21:16
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Tell our government to make us happy so they can live longer…
FedorAmerikano
,
Moscow, Russia,
30/7/2013 20:37
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I’ve been happy all week but I still can’t fit into them!
Isayitasiseeit
,
London,
30/7/2013 20:32
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