TY - JOUR
T1 - The MAOA gene predicts happiness in women
AU - Chen, Henian
AU - Pine, Daniel S.
AU - Ernst, Monique
AU - Gorodetsky, Elena
AU - Kasen, Stephanie
AU - Gordon, Kathy
AU - Goldman, David
AU - Cohen, Patricia
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health ( MH-36971 , MH-38914 , MH-49191 and MH-60911 ). Dr. Chen's time was supported, in part, by University of South Florida Proposal Enhancement Grant No. 0090681 .
PY - 2013/1
Y1 - 2013/1
N2 - Psychologists, quality of life and well-being researchers have grown increasingly interested in understanding the factors that are associated with human happiness. Although twin studies estimate that genetic factors account for 35-50% of the variance in human happiness, knowledge of specific genes is limited. However, recent advances in molecular genetics can now provide a window into neurobiological markers of human happiness. This investigation examines association between happiness and monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) genotype. Data were drawn from a longitudinal study of a population-based cohort, followed for three decades. In women, low expression of MAOA (MAOA-L) was related significantly to greater happiness (0.261 SD increase with one L-allele, 0.522 SD with two L-alleles, P = 0.002) after adjusting for the potential effects of age, education, household income, marital status, employment status, mental disorder, physical health, relationship quality, religiosity, abuse history, recent negative life events and self-esteem use in linear regression models. In contrast, no such association was found in men. This new finding may help explain the gender difference on happiness and provide a link between MAOA and human happiness.
AB - Psychologists, quality of life and well-being researchers have grown increasingly interested in understanding the factors that are associated with human happiness. Although twin studies estimate that genetic factors account for 35-50% of the variance in human happiness, knowledge of specific genes is limited. However, recent advances in molecular genetics can now provide a window into neurobiological markers of human happiness. This investigation examines association between happiness and monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) genotype. Data were drawn from a longitudinal study of a population-based cohort, followed for three decades. In women, low expression of MAOA (MAOA-L) was related significantly to greater happiness (0.261 SD increase with one L-allele, 0.522 SD with two L-alleles, P = 0.002) after adjusting for the potential effects of age, education, household income, marital status, employment status, mental disorder, physical health, relationship quality, religiosity, abuse history, recent negative life events and self-esteem use in linear regression models. In contrast, no such association was found in men. This new finding may help explain the gender difference on happiness and provide a link between MAOA and human happiness.
KW - Happiness
KW - MAOA
KW - Women
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U2 - 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2012.07.018
DO - 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2012.07.018
M3 - Article
C2 - 22885141
AN - SCOPUS:84867896220
SN - 0278-5846
VL - 40
SP - 122
EP - 125
JO - Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry
JF - Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry
IS - 1
ER -