Happiness is in the genes … of the Danes. Researchers have shown that the closer we get to the Danish genetic model, the happier the national population.
It is the country of Lego, but also of national happiness. A study by the University of Warwick (United Kingdom) is likely to make the French, poorly classified in this area, envious: the key to happiness lies in the DNA of the people of Denmark. In support of this, Dr Eugenio Proto and Professor Andrew Oswald explain why the Danes are the happiest in the world.
Varied genes, less marked happiness
At the origin of this study, a seemingly simple question: why are some countries “happier” than others? To answer this, Dr Eugenio Proto and Professor Andrew Oswald set out to analyze two elements: the well-being reported by the inhabitants of 131 countries in surveys, and the genetic characteristics of the national population. Result: 3 concrete evidence associates a happy population with certain genes.
“The results are surprising,” admits Dr Eugenio Proto. “We have found that the further a nation is genetically from Denmark, the happier its people are. This observation holds true even when taking into account the average national income, the culture and religion of the country… and its geographical location.
Ancestors who make you happy
Several studies have suggested a link between happiness and a mutation in a gene that influences the production of serotonin. When it is shorter, the body produces less of this happiness hormone. “Surprisingly, among the 30 nations included in the study, it is Denmark and the Netherlands which seem to have the lowest proportion of inhabitants possessing this short version (of the gene)”, underlines Dr Proto.
And this association between genes and happiness is maintained across generations, continents… and even crosses the Atlantic Ocean. The two researchers surveyed Americans about their well-being. Then they studied the area where their ancestors came from. “The results revealed that there is an unexplained positive correlation between the current happiness of certain nations, and the happiness observed among Americans whose ancestors came from these same nations,” explains Professor Andrew Oswald. “Contrary to what we thought when we started the project, there is reason to believe that genetic models can help researchers understand national well-being. “France, ranked 18 out of 34 countries assessed by the OECD’s Gross Domestic Happiness index, therefore seems far removed from Danish genetics …
.
