London - If a joke leaves you in a fit of giggles, it might not be down to the teller’s comic timing so much as your own genes.
People with a specific gene variant controlling serotonin smiled and laughed more while watching cartoons or amusing films, scientists found.
In the study, US researchers looked at short and long alleles (variants) of the gene 5-HTTLPR, which is involved in the regulation of serotonin, a brain chemical involved in depression and anxiety.
While previous research has found those with the short version were more sensitive to negative emotions, this study found they were similarly responsive to emotional highs.
For the study, published in the journal Emotion, participants were shown newspaper-style cartoons or a “subtly amusing” film clip. The scientists videotaped the volunteers’ faces and coded their responses. Because people sometimes smile or laugh simply to be polite, the researchers focused on subtle signals.
People with the short allele displayed greater genuine laughing than people with the long allele. Dr Claudia Haase, from Northwestern University in Illinois, said: “People with short alleles may flourish in a positive environment and suffer in a negative one, while people with long alleles are less sensitive to environmental conditions.”
Daily Mail