Genes 'play key happiness role'

有空再談這篇



《中英對照讀新聞》Genes ’play key happiness role’基因「扮演幸福的關鍵角色」

◎鄭寺音

Our level of happiness throughout life is strongly influenced by the genes with which we were born, say experts.

專家說，我們一生中的快樂程度，受到我們與生俱來的基因強烈影響。

An Edinburgh University study of identical and non-identical twins suggests genes may control half the personality traits keeping us happy. The other half is linked to lifestyle, career and relationships.

愛丁堡大學針對同卵與異卵雙胞胎的研究顯示，基因可能控制一半讓我們快樂的個性特徵。另一半因素則與生活方式、職業與人際關係有關。

However, another expert said despite the research in the journal Psychological Science, we can still train ourselves to be more content.

不過，另一名專家說，儘管這份刊登在心理科學期刊的研究有上述結論，我們還是可以自我訓練，讓自己感到更滿足。

Psychologists have developed several methods to assess a person’s personality type - and even their level of happiness.

心理學家已擬出數種方式，可評估一個人的個性種類，甚至他們的快樂程度。

The idea behind twin studies is that, because identical twins are genetically exactly the same, while fraternal twins are not, it is possible, by comparing the results from the two groups to calculate how strongly influenced a particular trait is by genetics.

雙胞胎研究背後的原理是，由於同卵雙胞胎基因上完全一樣，異卵雙胞胎不是，比較這兩種族群的情形，可能得以推測特定特徵如何受到基因的影響有多大。

The differences between the results from the identical and fraternal twins suggested that these traits were influenced up to 50% by genetic factors.

研究同卵與異卵雙胞胎的不同情形，顯示這些特徵高達五成受到基因因子影響。

新聞辭典

identical︰（雙胞胎）同卵的。一般常用的解釋是「完全相同的、完全相似的」。例句：The two words are identical in meaning.（這兩個字的字義完全一樣。）

trait︰特徵，特性。例句：Jim’s two most pleasing traits are generosity and energy.（吉姆最討人喜歡的特點是豪爽和充滿活力。）

Last Updated: Wednesday, 5 March 2008, 10:50 GMT E-mail this to a friend Printable version

Genes 'play key happiness role'

A question of nature, not nurture? Our level of happiness throughout life is strongly influenced by the genes with which we were born, say experts. An Edinburgh University study of identical and non-identical twins suggests genes may control half the personality traits keeping us happy. The other half is linked to lifestyle, career and relationships. However, another expert said despite the research in the journal Psychological Science, we can still train ourselves to be more content. Together with life and liberty, the pursuit of happiness is a core human desire Dr Alexander Weiss University of Edinburgh Psychologists have developed several methods to assess a person's personality type - and even their level of happiness. The Edinburgh study, in conjunction with researchers at the Institute for Medical Research in Queensland, Australia, looked at results from 900 pairs of twins. The idea behind twin studies is that, because identical twins are genetically exactly the same, while fraternal twins are not, it is possible, by comparing the results from the two groups to calculate how strongly influenced a particular trait is by genetics. In this case, the researchers looked for people who tended not to worry, and who were sociable and conscientious. All three of these separate characteristics have been linked by other research to an overall sense of happiness or well-being. The differences between the results from the identical and fraternal twins suggested that these traits were influenced up to 50% by genetic factors. Positive psychology Dr Alexander Weiss, from Edinburgh's School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, who led the research, said: "Together with life and liberty, the pursuit of happiness is a core human desire. "Although happiness is subject to a wide range of external influences we have found there is a heritable component of happiness which can be entirely explained by genetic architecture of personality." The science of happiness is a growing field, with demand from both the public and industry for insights into emotional wellbeing. The Centre for Applied Positive Psychology promotes research into techniques for boosting personal contentment. Dr Alex Linley, from the centre, said that even though other studies supported the genetic argument, it was wrong for anyone to think that nature had dealt them a fixed hand in happiness terms. He said: "What it means is that, rather than a single point, people have a range of possible levels of happiness - and it is perfectly possible to influence this with techniques that are empirically proven to work. "Simple things, like listing your strengths and using them in new ways every day, or keeping a journal where you write down, every night, three things that you are g