The research report by David Lykken and Auke Tellegen from the University of Minnesota explores the nature of happiness, particularly through the lens of genetic and environmental influences. Using a sample of middle-aged twins, they measured subjective well-being (SWB) using the Well-Being (WB) scale from the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire. The study found that socioeconomic status, educational attainment, family income, marital status, and religious commitment explained less than 5% of the variance in SWB. Instead, genetic variation accounted for 44% to 52% of the variance in SWB. The heritability of the stable component of subjective well-being was estimated to be around 80%, based on retests of smaller twin samples after intervals of 4, 5, and 10 years. The authors conclude that happiness is a stochastic phenomenon, meaning that individual differences in happiness are primarily determined by chance and genetic factors. They suggest that while life events can cause transitory fluctuations in happiness, the stable set point or trait of happiness is largely genetically determined. This finding challenges the notion that happiness is primarily influenced by external factors such as social status or income, and it highlights the importance of genetic factors in shaping individual happiness.The research report by David Lykken and Auke Tellegen from the University of Minnesota explores the nature of happiness, particularly through the lens of genetic and environmental influences. Using a sample of middle-aged twins, they measured subjective well-being (SWB) using the Well-Being (WB) scale from the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire. The study found that socioeconomic status, educational attainment, family income, marital status, and religious commitment explained less than 5% of the variance in SWB. Instead, genetic variation accounted for 44% to 52% of the variance in SWB. The heritability of the stable component of subjective well-being was estimated to be around 80%, based on retests of smaller twin samples after intervals of 4, 5, and 10 years. The authors conclude that happiness is a stochastic phenomenon, meaning that individual differences in happiness are primarily determined by chance and genetic factors. They suggest that while life events can cause transitory fluctuations in happiness, the stable set point or trait of happiness is largely genetically determined. This finding challenges the notion that happiness is primarily influenced by external factors such as social status or income, and it highlights the importance of genetic factors in shaping individual happiness.