Happiness and wellbeing: The value and findings from genetic studies

In light of major global trends (e.g., rise of aging populations, increasing longevity, decreasing birth rates), maintaining, facilitating, and building well-being (WB) is crucial, but also becomes increasingly complex and demanding. Over the past decade, twin studies have helped us get better insight into the extent to which genes and environments contribute to individual differences in WB. Our knowledge about these genetic and environmental factors is continuously growing with studies on WB-related phenotypes, extensions of twin studies, molecular genetic studies, and environmental studies. In this chapter, we provide an overview of past, present, and future directions of behavioral genetic research on WB, happiness, and related phenotypes.