Our ‘prepaid’ emotional load

Maria Isabel Garcia

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Our ‘prepaid’ emotional load
[Science Solitaire] Recent findings in science seem to show that heightened expression of emotion, whether positive or negative, come from a version of the same gene

 

The artists are right again – sadness and joy are just different expressions from the same source.

Genes were probably not the peg for the conjoined set of sad and joyful face symbols of show business but recent findings in science seem to show that heightened expression of emotion, whether positive or negative, come from a version of the same gene. Genes are the biological codes that we are all born with – the “pre-paid” biology that gets mashed-up with life our choices and circumstances.

Previous studies have always suspected a certain variant of a gene to be the culprit in a strong tendency of its bearers to be depressed or anxious. But this recent study proves that while it does that, it also amplifies positive emotions, showing that they come from the same gene variant.

The short version (allele) of a gene with a flat name barely indicative of its “emotional load” – 5-HTTLPR – seems to be the biological cachet that holds our pre-disposed capacity to express emotions, positive or negative.

The recent study tested 3 sets of people given 3 scenarios:  One with young people watching cartoons, the second with a mix of young, middle-aged and older people watching a film with subtle humor and the third with middle-aged and older couples discussing an aspect of married life which normally brings out both positive and negative emotions. Saliva of the participants were tested to look for the short allele of the gene for “emotional load.”

The ones with the short version significantly showed heightened positive emotions as well as negative ones. The ones who bear the long versions of the gene do not express these heightened states compared to the ones who bear the short version.

This means that you can inherit this predisposition to happiness. Does this mean that you are doomed to giggles or to depression by reason of the “prepaid” genetic emotional load you were born with? No, these are pre-dispositions. The “post-paid” equivalent – the environment you are surrounded with plus the choices you make would also have an effect on your emotional load-bearing capacity.

While digesting that study, I was also able to come across another one that makes a solid link between the way we emotionally react to stress and our own health. Before studies like these, it just seemed like a good idea to reassure ourselves and each other that it must be good to engage in positive thinking to help keep ourselves healthy. Now, there is evidence from that study showing that people who reacted more calmly to stress, no matter how frequent the stresses are, have less inflammation.

Inflammation is a natural reaction of our bodies to sudden stress but long-term chronic inflammation has been linked to many diseases like obesity, heart diseases and even cancer.  

Our emotional lives feel, for the most part, like high-wire acts but understanding what goes into the whole “act” – nature (genes) or nurture (environment and choices) – should, hopefully, make us feel more calibrated to walk the line. – Rappler.com

(“Women holding papers with happy and sad emoticon” image courtesy Shutterstock)

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