National happiness can be caused by genetic mutations

A scientific study by Bulgaria announced on January 14 said that a sense of national level happiness is caused by a special genetic mutation.

According to AFP, people in some countries have a special gene variant that makes them feel happier than others. Happiness at the national level involves more genetic variations than other factors such as wealth, stability of the country, or even the incidence of illness. This may explain why self-assessment Nigerians feel happier than Germans.

"Feeling happy, comfortable and in a good mood does not depend on the prosperity and safety of a country," said Michael Minkov, author of the study, Varna University of Management, Bulgaria. .

"In fact, the correlation between happiness and safety seems contradictory. Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa, where the highest rates of murder and looting in the world, are areas where people are comfortable The most comfortable and happy roof ".

Mexican people feel happiest in the world.(Photo: AFP).

The study, published in the Journal of Happiness Studies, is the first to show the link between genetics and happiness at the national level.

Minkov and his colleagues, Michael Harris Bond, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, study based on World Value Survey (WVS) - the survey that respondents rated themselves as " very happy" , "having happiness", "not very happy" or "completely unhappy".

They compared this data to the prevalence of A allele - a variant of a gene involved in regulating anandamide , a substance that enhances feelings of satisfaction and reduces pain. Accordingly, the highest self-esteem state, Mexico, also has the highest rate of A allele mutation . Ghana, Nigeria, Columbia, Venezuela and Ecuador also have high rankings.

Countries and territories such as Iraq, Jordan, Hong Kong, China, Thailand and Taiwan - all have low A allele rates - are also places where few people rate themselves feeling "very happy ".

Similar results are achieved in Europe. The Nordic people have a much higher rate of A allele than Central and Southern Europe, and people feel happier.

Due to the genetic data corresponding to the nation, the research team tried to ensure that all different ethnic groups in the same country were surveyed.

Explaining this result, Minkov thinks that the cause lies in the evolutionary process.

"To survive in stressful societies, you need genes that help you cope with stress , " he said. Regions with harsh climates such as the equator and tropical, or cold countries like Northern Europe all have a high percentage of A allele in the population.

However, the team also emphasized that genes are not all determinants . There are exceptions such as in Russia and Estonia, the rate of A allele is high but the level of happiness is low. The authors argue that this may be due to "the long-term effects of the economic and political difficulties that Eastern European countries continue to experience".