Positive psychology is the scientific study of what makes people flourish, and it's fueling the booming self-help industry.
The rates of anxiety, depression, and self- harm continue to soar worldwide. Are we doomed to be unhappy despite the advances in psychology?
50 percent of people's happiness is determined by their genes, 10 percent depends on their circumstances, and 40 percent on "intentional activity", according to an influential article published in Review of General Psychology in 2005.
The happiness pie puts positive-psychology followers in the driver's seat, allowing them to decide on their happiness trajectory. The message is that if you are unhappy, it's your own fault.
The happiness pie was critiqued because it was based on assumptions that have been discredited. The percentage of happiness that was explained by genetics was between 40 percent and 50 percent, which is why it was in the happiness pie.
Twins are used in the studies of behavioral geneticists because they use a statistical technique to estimate the genetic and environmental components.
The figures assumed that both identical and fraternal twins experience the same environment when they grow up together.
The 2005 paper was criticized for being too simplistic in its approach to the effect of genes on happiness. In response, the authors wrote a paper in the year 2019: which looked at the interactions between genetics and our environment and how they affect our happiness.
Nature and nurture are interdependent. The study of the structure and function of genes at the molecular level shows that they influence one another.
People are influenced by genes to choose their environment. Extroversion from parents to children helps build friendship groups.
The environment changes the expression of genes. When expecting mothers were exposed to famine, their babies' genes changed, resulting in chemical changes that suppressed production of a growth factor. Babies were born smaller than usual and with conditions such as cardiovascular disease.
Nature and nurture are interdependent. Behavioral genetics' assumption of an equal environment is no longer valid because two people brought up in the same environment may respond differently.
Whether or not people can become happier depends on their environmental sensitivity.
Some people are susceptible to their environment and can change their behavior in response to both positive and negative events.
When attending a wellbeing workshop or reading a positive psychology book, they may become influenced by it and experience more change compared to others.
There is no positive psychology intervention that will work for everyone because we are unique and have a different capacity for wellbeing.
Are we destined to be unhappy? Some people may struggle harder to improve their wellbeing than others, and that may mean that they will be unhappy for a long time. They may never experience high levels of happiness in extreme cases.
Some people who have more genetic plasticity, meaning they are more sensitive to the environment and have an increased capacity for change, may be able to enhance their wellbeing and even thrive if they choose to live and work in an environment that enhances their happiness and ability.
Even if genetics plays a significant role in our wellbeing, it doesn't determine who we are. The choices we make about where we live, who we live with and how we live our lives affect both our happiness and the happiness of the next generations.
Jolanta Burke is a senior lecturer at the Centre for Positive Psychology and Health at the University of Medicine and Health Sciences.
The Conversation's article is a Creative Commons licensed one. The original article can be found here.
