Genetic and environmental influences on the association between subjective well-being and marital adjustment.

Abstract

This study was conducted to estimate the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences on the association between three indices of subjective well-being (i.e., life satisfaction, positive affect, negative affect) and positive and negative components of marital adjustment (i.e., spousal support, spousal strain) in a sample of adult married twin pairs (N = 453 pairs). Results indicated that subjective well-being and marital adjustment were significantly associated (particularly in women), that there were gender differences in the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences on this covariation, and that this association was largely influenced by genetic factors in women and genetic and nonshared environmental factors in men. These findings highlight the importance of using genetically informed research to evaluate the genetic and environmental influences on the covariation between marital adjustment and individual outcomes such as subjective well-being.

Genetic and Environmental Factors in Emotion Regulation and Life Satisfaction: A Twin Study

“…The specific genetic factors explained about 81% of its total heredity, while the general genetic factor explained 19% of the heredity of the construct. Such findings were consistent with several results of the previous behavioral-genetic studies of the life satisfaction (Diener & Diener, 1996;Whisman et al, 2014). According to some researchers (Lykken & Tellegen, 1996;Pavot & Diener, 1993), gene-based basis of life satisfaction was to be found in more stable constructs, such as personality traits, which represented a more time-firing disposition than the life satisfaction itself, and determined its baseline level.…”

“…In addition, genes may have a qualitatively different form of influence on these constructs: protective or plastic (e.g., Belsky et al, 2009). The results of various behavioral-genetic studies suggest that the genetic contribution to life satisfaction varies from 25% to 55% (Diener & Diener, 1996;Whisman, Rhee, Hink, Boeldt, & Johnson, 2014). Moreover, results of a Dutch study regarding the life satisfaction report on a contribution of 38% to the genetic factors (Stubbe, Posthum, Boomsma, & De Geus, 2005), similar to the findings in Bartels (Bartels, 2015) meta-analysis.…”

Gene–environment interplay in the context of romantic relationships

“…One study found evidence for common genetic and nonshared environmental influences on the covariance between relationship quality and well-being, with evidence that partners were the source of the nonshared environmental influence [39]. In a study of male and female twin pairs and three indexes of well-being, the covariation between marital quality and well-being was largely due to genetic influences for women and genetic and non-shared environmental influences for men [40]. …”