Mexicans and other Latin Americans carry happiness in their DNA, study finds

*What a great Friday story. Some good feelings to start your weekend with a smile, not because we need a reason to be happy, we’re just wired that way. VL

By Mariétte Le Roux, The Tico Times

PARIS — Happiness is a state of mind, the gurus say. Well, actually, it could be more a function of genes, the authors of an unusual scientific study asserted on Thursday.

Nations whose inhabitants boast a certain gene variant, they found, had much higher self-reported happiness levels. And the northern part of Latin America won the genetic lottery — with Mexico at the head.

Happiness at the national level was more closely related to this gene variant than factors like wealth, country stability, or even disease prevalence — possibly explaining, for example, why Nigerians rate themselves happier than Germans.

“Feeling happy, relaxed and in a good mood does not depend on the prosperity and safety of a country,” study co-author Michael Minkov of the Varna University of Management in Bulgaria, told AFP.

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