…it could be in your genes.

Happiness May Be in the Genes

People tend to be hardwired for happiness, and new genetic research may help explain why. Past studies suggest that while 50% of happiness is due to situational factors like health, relationships, and career, the other 50% is due to genes. The new research identified largely inherited personality traits that researchers say are responsible for much of the genetic influence on happiness.

The findings do not mean that people who don’t inherit happiness traits are destined to lead miserable lives, Bates says.
Bates, Weiss, and Luciano are studying whether adopting the traits associated with happiness can make people happy. Early findings suggest it can.
Since setting and achieving goals is a common trait in conscientious people, and conscientiousness is linked to happiness, study participants were asked to set five achievable goals that could be accomplished in a week.

“As soon as people started working toward these goals their happiness scores went up,” Bates says. “When they were no longer working toward a goal their happiness scores dropped.”
The findings do not mean that people who don’t inherit happiness traits are destined to lead miserable lives, Bates says.

Bates, Weiss, and Luciano are studying whether adopting the traits associated with happiness can make people happy. Early findings suggest it can.

Since setting and achieving goals is a common trait in conscientious people, and conscientiousness is linked to happiness, study participants were asked to set five achievable goals that could be accomplished in a week.

“As soon as people started working toward these goals their happiness scores went up,” Bates says. “When they were no longer working toward a goal their happiness scores dropped.”
So while some people are genetically predisposed to being goal-oriented and others are not, the research suggests that it is the behavior that drives happiness, whether or not it comes naturally.
People who stay physically active and socially connected also tend to be happier, so adopting these traits is important for people who are naturally introverted, Bates says.
So while some people are genetically predisposed to being goal-oriented and others are not, the research suggests that it is the behavior that drives happiness, whether or not it comes naturally.
People who stay physically active and socially connected also tend to be happier, so adopting these traits is important for people who are naturally introverted, Bates says.

Situational factors do matter, Bates says, but they don’t tend to affect happiness long term. Studies consistently show that rich people are not much happier than poor people, and even people with severe physical disabilities tend to find happiness over time, he says. “This is what led to the thinking that certain people must have some reserve that allows them to remain at a fairly stable level of happiness despite their situation,” he adds. The research also suggests that happiness is tied to a sense of responsibility and achievement. “The way to pursue happiness is surprisingly virtuous,” Bates concludes. “A sense of humility, working for the things you want, counting your blessings, being sociable, and staying active all play a part.”

So says a report in the New York Times: Midnight Meals – New York Times

“Eating a big meal just before going to bed has been found in studies to elevate triglyceride levels in the blood for a period of time,” Dr. Aronne said. A higher triglyceride level “has been associated with metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance,” both related to weight gain, he said.
Dr. Aronne suggested a theoretical framework for why late meals may stay with you. “If you ate 500 calories during the day but walked around afterward, your muscles would be competing with your fat cells for the calories and could burn them up as energy for physical activity,” he said. “But if you consume it at bedtime, with no physical activity, the body has no choice but to store the calories away as fat.”

It seems that not everyone thinks so, and it may not help so much in certain sports like the marathon.

Several pithy quotes from the article:

And don’t worry about becoming too muscular, Dr. Kraemer said. “The
fear of getting really big is not plausible for most people,” he said.
Competitive distance runners and cyclists, who are naturally slender
and light, “don’t have the muscle fiber number to get really big,” Dr.
Kraemer said. “I can train them until the cows come home and they are
not going to have big muscles.”

The main problem with weight lifting is that many people do it all
wrong, said Kent Adams, the director of the exercise physiology
laboratory at California State University
at Monterey Bay. They don’t have a program or a goal. Technique may be
sloppy. Or, Dr. Adams said, they use weights that are too light.
Muscles need to be stressed if they are to respond, he said. Dr.
Kraemer is on the same page. One study, he said, found that women tend
to lift half or less of what they could lift. And this happened even
when women were working with personal trainers, he said. “There
is so much misinformation,” Dr. Kraemer said. “It’s a quagmire out
there.” He recommends trainers certified by the National Strength and
Conditioning Association, which also supplies educational information.
Dr. Kraemer is a past president of the organization.

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