It’s not me, it’s my short alleles.
Are you prone to incapacitating fits of the giggles? Apparently, it’s the fault of your genes, according to a new study.
Researchers from the Northwestern University in Illinois found that people with short variants of the 5-HTTLPR gene, which helps transport serotonin in the body, laugh or smile more easily.
For the study, published in the journal Emotion, volunteers were shown funny newspaper cartoons or a ‘subtly amusing’ clip from the film Strangers In Paradise.
Scientists filmed participants’ faces and then researchers who were trained in distinguishing real laughter and smiles coded their responses.
The experiment concluded that people with the short allele of the gene showed more positive expressions and responded with more genuine smiling and laughter than those with long alleles.
In fact, these people just feel more in positive or negative situations.
Claudia Haase, co… Read the full story