[Graeme]

Set Point Match

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')tudies of idential twins suggest the blueprint for joy is in our genes. Yet brain images show our happiness levels can change according to circumstance, activities, and patterns of thought. Is the pursuit of positive emotions a mixed-up game of nature and nurture.

They found that while feelings of happiness change from day to day, depending on the circumstances, people seem to have a stable midpoint to these variations, a general level of happiness to which they return after momentary irritation or elation fades. Scientists call this the “hedonic set point” or happiness thermostat, and researchers like Lykken and Tellegen argue that the genetic contribution to this midpoint may be as high as eighty percent.

But when it comes to the expression of particular positive or negative emotions, extroversion and neuroticism matter more than the others. Extroverts tend to be positive, sociable, and assertive; when James said some people start “life with a bottle or two of champagne inscribed to their credit,” these are the people he was talking about. Neurotics, on the other hand, are born on the wrong side of James’ misery line, vulnerable to feeling anxious, depressed, angry, or selfconscious when stressed.

[katkinkate]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Graeme', '[')b]Set Point Match

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '.').....But when it comes to the expression of particular positive or negative emotions, extroversion and neuroticism matter more than the others. Extroverts tend to be positive, sociable, and assertive; when James said some people start “life with a bottle or two of champagne inscribed to their credit,” these are the people he was talking about. Neurotics, on the other hand, are born on the wrong side of James’ misery line, vulnerable to feeling anxious, depressed, angry, or selfconscious when stressed.

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('katkinkate', '
') You can be positive sociable and assertive as an introvert!