Ever feel haunted by your past? Is it harder for you to let things go than it seems for other people? Do everyday situations often feel too intense? The surprising answer to these questions may lie in your genes, not your mind, say scientists from the University of Melbourne. In a study that will relieve every woman who's ever been told she's "too sensitive," researchers found that people who have a certain gene are more affected by their life experiences.
Previous research has linked the SERT gene with mood disorders, but this new study found that there is more to the picture. While it is true that people who carry the short-short form of the gene are more likely to become depressed after a negative event, like trauma or abuse, it turns out that they're also more likely to be happier than the general population after a positive event.
"Our results suggest some people have a genetic makeup that makes them more susceptible to negative environments, but if put in a supportive environment these same people are likely to thrive," said Chad Bousman, Ph.D. a professor and lead author of the study, in a press release.
As a sensitive person myself, I love this idea that my deep emotional life is a feature not a flaw — especially as it gives me permission to appreciate the extreme highs I get along with learning to moderate the deep lows. It's also comforting to know that if the roller coaster of life goes down then it will certainly come back up again in time.
And this research is particularly great news for people who suffer from mood disorders, Bousman added. "A person's genes alone are not enough to determine how they might experience depression," he said. "This research tells us that what may be considered a risk gene in one context, may actually be beneficial in another. So, this directly opposes the notion of genetic determinism, the idea that your genes define your fate."
He explained that, rather, feelings oppressed by overwhelming emotions, those of us who are super-feelers should feel a greater sense of control from this information. "You can't change your genotype or go back and change your childhood, but you can take steps to modify your current environment," he said.
In a world where people are often accused of not feeling enough or of being insensitive, here's to feeling all the feels! Anyone else struggle with feeling too much? How do you deal?
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