Scientists from the University of Glasgow in Scotland found that a person’s level of happiness is related to activity in specific areas of the brain (ventral pallidum and nucleus accumbens). The results of the study were as follows: published In Scientific Reports.
Researchers have tried to find out what causes the feeling of happiness. More than 222 thousand people aged 9 to 83 participated in the experiment. First, scientists collected saliva samples from all participants and used them for gene typing. DNA typing is a method of examining genetic material aimed at identifying and evaluating the individual characteristics of a biological object. The purpose of such a study is to determine the similarities (or differences) of different organisms and to determine the degree of their relationship. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the participants’ brains was also performed.
The results showed that certain parts of the brain are associated with a genetic predisposition to happiness. Areas called ventral pallidum and nucleus accumbens are the most important centers of the reward system. This is a complex of nervous system structures that regulate behavior, providing a person with a feeling of pleasure and positive emotions for a successfully completed action or decision.
The processes underlying the activity of these brain regions are genetically inherited. A link was also found between feelings of happiness and having ancestors from Asia, Africa and Spain. It turns out that the descendants of representatives of these nations are less likely to inherit a predisposition to happiness.
A gene was previously discovered that affects the rapid onset of nicotine addiction discovered 10 percent of Russians.