Heritability of Life Satisfaction

Abstract

In recent decades, life satisfaction has gained attention as a dimension of positive mental health. It refers to a cognitive and subjective evaluation of one’s life as a whole. Accumulating evidence suggests that life satisfaction is associated with favourable physical and mental health outcomes. This makes life satisfaction a highly relevant topic of research as the quest for new solutions for the burdened health care systems continues. Previous research has reported a profound heritable aspect to it. This integrative scoping review aims to examine and summarise findings on the heritability of life satisfaction. The literature search was conducted through the Pubmed database and snowball search methods broadened the body of publications. First, studies providing numerical heritability estimates are presented, followed by additional literature grouped to identify factors influencing these estimates. The findings from predominantly twin studies show that the variation in life satisfaction is significantly influenced by genetic factors. The heritability estimates are mainly in the range of 30-40%. In addition to genetic influences, research underlines the importance of unique environmental influences and gene-environment interactions. Life satisfaction and its heritability has been shown to vary in different groups and environments, thus implying that altering environmental conditions could enhance life satisfaction. The remarkable heritable component in life satisfaction opens an opportunity for developing targeted interventions and policies in the future. On the other hand, the significance of unique environments also leaves a promising space for interventions. Understanding the mechanisms through which genetic and environmental factors influence life satisfaction remains a key direction for future research.