The Molecular Genetics of Life Satisfaction: Extending Findings from a Recent Genome-Wide Association Study and Examining the Role of the Serotonin Transporter

Bernd Lachmann,Andrew Cooper,Christian Montag,Rayna Sariyska,Heidrun Haas,Anna Doebler,Cornelia Sindermann

doi:10.1007/s10902-020-00231-x

Bernd Lachmann, Andrew Cooper + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-020-00231-x

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Abstract

In a recent genome-wide association study (GWAS), three polymorphisms (rs3756290, RAPGEF6; rs2075677, CSE1L; rs4958581, NMUR2) were suggested as potentially being related to subjective-well-being and life satisfaction. Additionally, associations between the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism (serotonin transporter) and subjective well-being have been reported in other previous studies. In the current study, we therefore sought to further investigate the findings of the GWAS and examine the association between 5-HTTLPR and subjective well-being. A total of 1174 participants (821 females) were recruited and asked to provide information on their demographics, life satisfaction, and positive affect. All participants provided a genetic sample. We found associations between one SNP derived from the GWAS (rs4958581, NMUR2) and life satisfaction. We also replicated findings involving 5-HTTLPR and life satisfaction, but only for the housing, leisure and family life satisfaction variables, and not for overall life satisfaction or positive affect. Our study underlines that research investigating complex traits in the field of behavioral genetics is challenging due to their (a) pleiotropic and (b) polygenic effects, resulting in tiny effect sizes of each marker investigated. The current study also highlights the importance of investigating genetic markers of distinct areas of life satisfaction.

Highlights

Over the last several decades, the constructs of life satisfaction and subjective well-being (SWB) (Diener 1984) have been examined using many different theoretical and methodological approaches, and in relation to a host of demographic, psychological and environmental variables
The present study investigated the association between three genetic variants and life satisfaction derived from a recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) (Okbay et al 2016)
Our findings in this study showed that the only significant association detected in the complete sample for the Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) found in the GWAS (Okbay et al 2016) was between rs4958581, NMUR2 and the life satisfaction variable family

Summary

Introduction

Over the last several decades, the constructs of life satisfaction and subjective well-being (SWB) (Diener 1984) have been examined using many different theoretical and methodological approaches, and in relation to a host of demographic, psychological and environmental variables. Many studies have focused on the role that environmental and life variables play in relation to SWB, for example, the role of specific life events (Luhmann et al 2012b), the impact of life style (Burrell et al 2006), the effects of marital status (Shapiro and Keyes 2008), to name just a few. This previous research has examined SWB in relation to behaviors and experiences that are typical of modern industrial societies, including, for example, commuting (Lachmann et al 2017) and the use of digital technologies (Samaha and Hawi 2016). Internet use disorder and smartphone use disorder have been examined in conjunction with life satisfaction: Some studies have examined the personality characteristics underpinning these two disorders (Lachmann et al 2019; Montag et al 2015; PeterkaBonetta et al 2019), while others have sought to examine more specific constructs like empathy or optimism (Lachmann et al 2018b; Renaud et al 2018)

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