Health & Medicine
Scientists Discover Gene that Makes Women Happier than Men
Brooke Miller
First Posted: Aug 30, 2012 06:51 AM EDT
A new study in the journal Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry uncovers the mystery behind why women are often happier than men. The team of researchers traced the gene that makes women happy but fails to perform the same function in men.
A team of scientists from the University of South Florida (USF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute state that the low-expression form of the gene monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) has a strong correlation with higher self-reported happiness in women. This association is absent in men.
"This is the first happiness gene for women," lead author Henian Chen, M.D., PhD, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, USF College of Public Health, said.
"I was surprised by the result, because low expression of MAOA has been related to some negative outcomes like alcoholism, aggressiveness and antisocial behavior," said Chen, who directs the Biostatistics Core at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine's Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. "It's even called the warrior gene by some scientists, but, at least for women, our study points to a brighter side of this gene."
"While they experience higher rates of mood and anxiety disorders, women tend to report greater overall life happiness than do men. The reason for this remains unclear," Chen said. "This new finding may help us to explain the gender difference and provide more insight into the link between specific genes and human happiness."
Scientists say the MAOA gene regulates the activity of an enzyme that breaks down serotonin, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters in the brain that provide a "feel-good" factor. The low-expression version of the MAOA gene promotes higher levels of monoamine, which keeps large amounts of neurotransmitters in the brain, thereby boosting mood.
For the study, data was collected from 345 individuals; 193 women and 152 men who were a part of Children in the Community, a longitudinal medical health study. Subject's DNA was analyzed for MAOA gene variation and the subject's self-reported happiness was scored by a widely used and validated scale.
Factors such as age, education and income were taken into consideration. The researchers noticed that, "women with the low-expression type of MAOA were significantly happier than others. Compared to women with no copies of the low-expression version of the MAOA gene, women with one copy scored higher on the happiness scale and those with two copies increased their score even more."
Researchers state that the difference between happiness levels of men and women exists due to the hormone testosterone, which is present in smaller amounts in women as compared to men. Testosterone may eliminate the positive effects of the gene.
"More research is needed to identify which specific genes influence resilience and subjective well-being, especially since studies of twins estimate genetic factors account for 35 to 50 percent of the variance in human happiness," Chen states.
"I think the time is right for more genetic studies that focus on well-being and happiness. Certainly it could be argued that how well-being is enhanced deserves at least as much attention as how (mental) disorders arise; however, such knowledge remains limited," he said.
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First Posted: Aug 30, 2012 06:51 AM EDT
A new study in the journal Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry uncovers the mystery behind why women are often happier than men. The team of researchers traced the gene that makes women happy but fails to perform the same function in men.
A team of scientists from the University of South Florida (USF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute state that the low-expression form of the gene monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) has a strong correlation with higher self-reported happiness in women. This association is absent in men.
"This is the first happiness gene for women," lead author Henian Chen, M.D., PhD, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, USF College of Public Health, said.
"I was surprised by the result, because low expression of MAOA has been related to some negative outcomes like alcoholism, aggressiveness and antisocial behavior," said Chen, who directs the Biostatistics Core at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine's Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. "It's even called the warrior gene by some scientists, but, at least for women, our study points to a brighter side of this gene."
"While they experience higher rates of mood and anxiety disorders, women tend to report greater overall life happiness than do men. The reason for this remains unclear," Chen said. "This new finding may help us to explain the gender difference and provide more insight into the link between specific genes and human happiness."
Scientists say the MAOA gene regulates the activity of an enzyme that breaks down serotonin, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters in the brain that provide a "feel-good" factor. The low-expression version of the MAOA gene promotes higher levels of monoamine, which keeps large amounts of neurotransmitters in the brain, thereby boosting mood.
For the study, data was collected from 345 individuals; 193 women and 152 men who were a part of Children in the Community, a longitudinal medical health study. Subject's DNA was analyzed for MAOA gene variation and the subject's self-reported happiness was scored by a widely used and validated scale.
Factors such as age, education and income were taken into consideration. The researchers noticed that, "women with the low-expression type of MAOA were significantly happier than others. Compared to women with no copies of the low-expression version of the MAOA gene, women with one copy scored higher on the happiness scale and those with two copies increased their score even more."
Researchers state that the difference between happiness levels of men and women exists due to the hormone testosterone, which is present in smaller amounts in women as compared to men. Testosterone may eliminate the positive effects of the gene.
"More research is needed to identify which specific genes influence resilience and subjective well-being, especially since studies of twins estimate genetic factors account for 35 to 50 percent of the variance in human happiness," Chen states.
"I think the time is right for more genetic studies that focus on well-being and happiness. Certainly it could be argued that how well-being is enhanced deserves at least as much attention as how (mental) disorders arise; however, such knowledge remains limited," he said.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone