Study discovers a gene's link to optimism, self-esteem
Distinguished Professor Shelley Taylor and her colleagues have identified a gene that is linked to optimism, self-esteem, and "mastery."
"UCLA life scientists have identified for the first time a particular gene's link to optimism, self-esteem and "mastery," the belief that one has control over one's own life — three critical psychological resources for coping well with stress and depression.
"I have been looking for this gene for a few years, and it is not the gene I expected," said Shelley E. Taylor, a distinguished professor of psychology at UCLA and senior author of the new research. "I knew there had to be a gene for these psychological resources."
The research is available in the online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and in the journal's Sept. 13 print edition."
The entire UCLA Newsroom article can be found at http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-life-scientists-discover-215259.aspx.
