Do you have the emotional sensitivity gene?

It’s challenging to understand how something as simple and small as a gene can affect something as complicated as human behavior — the effects can take a long time to manifest. With this in mind, UC Berkeley psychologist Robert Levenson embarked on a 20 year study.

Levenson began looking at a gene that’s involved in the regulation of serotonin in the brain: 5-HTTLPR (aka the serotonin transporter gene).

Serotonin is one of the major neurotransmitters (i.e. chemicals) in the brain. It’s not a coincidence that a lot of the drugs that are used to treat depression and anxiety act on the serotonin system in the brain. This is clearly an important chemical for determining the nature of our emotional lives.

There are two variants (or “alleles”) of this gene: long and short.

The short allele leaves serotonin in the brain a bit longer and seems to amplify a person’s emotional reactions. (About 30% of the population has this variation.)

The researchers found that people with the short alleles laugh more and display a more genuine smile when they watched funny films.

They also get more embarrassed — something that the researchers tested by having the study participants watch a tape of themselves singing karaoke.

While previous studies found that people with the short allele were more vulnerable to depression and anxiety, Levenson’s research shows that they’re also more responsive to the emotional highs of life.

Want to know how this gene could impact you love life? Levenson explains in the video below: