Happiness Is Mostly Genetic (Part Two)

Happiness Is Mostly Genetic
Matthew Herper

Clues to our behaviors can be found in the brain chemical dopamine, which is the key to the body's reward system. Strangely, in chimpanzees, dopamine levels peak not when they are going to get an award but when they realize the award is coming. That's very similar to our response to money.

For chimpanzees, this kind of brain chemistry can lead to strange behavior. In an essay, Stanford biologist Robert Sapolsky described a chimp that chased a prospective mate far beyond what would be reasonable, because the mate dropped occasional signals that she might be willing--maybe, someday. Sapolsky referred to this as the "pleasure and pain of maybe." The chimp was willing to go to great lengths for a hypothetical reward.

But humans also behave with a similar bizarreness. Take commuting--one of the strangest activities in modern life. Jobs turn out to be critically important to happiness--unemployed people are very unhappy, statistically speaking. But commuting takes some bloom off that rose. A study by researchers at the University of Zurich that was released this year found that commuters underwent more stress as a result of their daily travels than could possibly be paid for by any benefits they got by being willing to travel so far. The hypothetical reward--the good job--winds up outweighing the daily grind of commuting, even though it shouldn't.

However, for all the importance of biology, better living through chemistry doesn't lead to happiness. A 1998 study by Brian Knutson, now a professor at Stanford, showed that antidepressants do reduce negative emotions, such as anxiety and fear. And they actually have a powerful effect on patients' personalities, making them more engaged and cooperative in completing a lab test--something that could lead to happiness in the long run. But Knutson's research also revealed that antidepressants such as Prozac or Paxil did not seem to boost optimism or extroversion.

There's an upside to the biological nature of glee. Around the world, about two-thirds of people say they are happy, according to Nancy Etcoff, a psychologist at Harvard Medical School who is writing a book about happiness. Optimism has shown to be a helpful trait that can help people survive traumatic experiences such as heart bypass surgery. Says Etcoff, "There may be some innate tendency to be happy."

That, at least, is something to smile about.

Jackson

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