A study by psychologists at the University of Edinburgh and researchers at Queensland Institute for Medical Research in Australia has found that happiness is partly determined by personality traits and that both personality and happiness are largely hereditary.

They reached this conclusion by using a framework which rates personalities, called the Five-Factor Model on data gathered regarding personality and happiness on more than 900 identical and non-identical twin pairs.

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

For the study the researchers looked for people who tended not to worry, and who were sociable and conscientious.

They found that people who do not excessively worry, and who are sociable and conscientious tend to be happier and they suggest this personality mix can act as a buffer when bad things happen.

They identified evidence for common genes which result in certain personality traits and predispose people to happiness and say their findings suggest that those lucky enough to have inherited the right personality mix have an 'affective reserve' of happiness which can be called upon in stressful times or in times of recovery.

The researchers also say that while happiness has its roots in our genes, around 50 per cent of the differences between people in their life happiness is still down to external factors such as relationships, health and careers.

Dr. Alexander Weiss, of the University of Edinburgh ™s School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, who led the research says life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness is a core human desire.

Dr. Weiss says although happiness is subject to a wide range of external influence, an inherited component of happiness can be entirely explained by genetic architecture of personality.

The study is published in the March issue of Psychological Science.

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NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, located in New York City, is one of the leading academic medical centers in the world, comprising the teaching hospital NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medical College, the medical school of Cornell University. NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell provides state-of-the-art inpatient, ambulatory and preventive care in all areas of medicine, and is committed to excellence in patient care, education, research and community service. Weill Cornell physician-scientists have been responsible for many medical advances -- from the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer to the synthesis of penicillin, the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S., the first clinical trial for gene therapy for Parkinson's disease, the first indication of bone marrow's critical role in tumor growth, and, most recently, the world's first successful use of deep brain stimulation to treat a minimally-conscious brain-injured patient. NewYork-Presbyterian, which is ranked sixth on the U.S.News & World Report list of top hospitals, also comprises NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/The Allen Pavilion. Weill Cornell Medical College is the first U.S. medical college to offer a medical degree overseas and maintains a strong global presence in Austria, Brazil, Haiti, Tanzania, Turkey and Qatar.

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