Human optimal functioning: the genetics of positive orientation towards self, life, and the future.
Certain personality characteristics such as self-esteem, life satisfaction, and optimism are fundamental components of positive mental health status and well-being. There is consistent evidence that these traits tend to be substantially correlated in individuals. However, no previous studies have investigated the origin of such correlation. This research used the twin method to unravel the genetic and environmental architecture of self-esteem, life satisfaction, and optimism, along with their mutual interplay. The sample was derived from the population-based Italian Twin Register, and included 428 twin pairs, aged 23-24 years. Multivariate genetic modeling showed that genes influencing self-esteem, life satisfaction, and optimism are largely overlapping. Furthermore, results indicated that the environmental components of the traits may overlap only modestly, and suggested that a sizeable amount of variance in the traits may be explained by environmental effects specific to each of them.
Psychology Department, Sapienza University of Rome, Via dei Marsi 78, 00185 Rome, Italy. gianvittorio.caprara@uniroma1.it
Gian Vittorio
GV
Caprara
Corrado
C
Fagnani
Guido
G
Alessandri
Patrizia
P
Steca
Antonella
A
Gigantesco
Luigi Luca
LL
Cavalli Sforza
Luigi Luca Cavalli
LL
Sforza
Maria Antonietta
MA
Stazi
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D003469:Culture; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D004200:Diseases in Twins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D004843:Epistasis, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008957:Models, Genetic; D009042:Motivation; D010551:Personality / Q000235:genetics*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D012649:Self Concept; D012931:Social Environment; D012938:Social Perception; D013694:Temperament; D055815:Young Adult