![\"Fredrickson_BarbphotobyJeffChappelllnew\"](\"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2024\/07\/Fredrickson_BarbphotobyJeffChappelllnew-scaled.jpg\")
Human bodies recognize at the molecular level that not all happiness is created equal, responding in ways that can help or hinder physical health, according to new research led by Barbara L. Fredrickson, Kenan Distinguished Professor of psychology in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences, pictured.<\/p>\n
The sense of well-being derived from \u201ca noble purpose\u201d may provide cellular health benefits, whereas \u201csimple self-gratification\u201d may have negative effects, despite an overall perceived sense of happiness, researchers found. \u201cA functional genomic perspective on human well-being\u201d was published July 29 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.<\/p>\n
\u201cPhilosophers have long distinguished two basic forms of well-being: a \u2018hedonic\u2019 form representing an individual\u2019s pleasurable experiences, and a deeper \u2018eudaimonic,\u2019 form that results from striving toward meaning and a noble purpose beyond simple self-gratification,\u201d wrote Fredrickson and her colleagues.<\/p>\n
\u00a0It\u2019s the difference, for example, between enjoying a good meal and feeling connected to a larger community through a service project, she said. Both give us a sense of happiness, but each is experienced very differently in the body\u2019s cells.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know from many studies that both forms of well-being are associated with improved physical and mental health, beyond the effects of reduced stress and depression,\u201d Fredrickson said. \u201cBut we have had less information on the biological bases for these relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collaborating with a team from the University of California at Los Angeles \u00a0led by Steven W. Cole, professor of medicine, psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Fredrickson and her colleagues looked at the biological influence of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being through the human genome. They were interested in the pattern of gene expression within people\u2019s immune cells.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Past work by Cole and colleagues had discovered a systematic shift in gene expression associated with chronic stress, a shift \u201ccharacterized by increased expression of genes involved in inflammation\u201d that are implicated in a wide variety of human ills, including arthritis and heart disease, and \u201cdecreased expression of genes involved in \u2026 antiviral responses,\u201d the study noted. Cole and colleagues coined the phrase \u201cconserved transcriptional response to adversity\u201d or CTRA to describe this shift. In short, the functional genomic fingerprint of chronic stress sets us up for illness, Fredrickson said.<\/p>\n
But if all happiness is created equal, and equally opposite to ill-being, then patterns of gene expression should be the same regardless of hedonic or eudaimonic well-being. Not so, found the researchers.<\/p>\n
Eudaimonic well-being was, indeed, associated with a significant decrease in the stress-related CTRA gene expression profile. In contrast, hedonic well-being was associated with a significant increase in the CTRA profile. Their genomics-based analyses, the authors reported, reveal the hidden costs of purely hedonic well-being. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Fredrickson found the results initially surprising, because study participants themselves reported overall feelings of well-being. One possibility, she suggested, is that people who experience more hedonic than eudaimonic well-being consume the emotional equivalent of empty calories. \u201cTheir daily activities provide short-term happiness yet result in negative physical consequences long-term,\u201d she said. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can make ourselves happy through simple pleasures, but those \u2018empty calories\u2019 don\u2019t help us broaden our awareness or build our capacity in ways that benefit us physically,\u201d she said. \u201cAt the cellular level, our bodies appear to respond better to a different kind of well-being, one based on a sense of connectedness and purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n
The results bolster Fredrickson\u2019s previous work on the effects of positive emotions, as well as research linking a sense of connectedness with longevity. \u201cUnderstanding the cascade to gene expression will help inform further work in these areas,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Fredrickson collaborated with Karen M. Grewen, associate professor of psychiatry in UNC\u2019s School of Medicine; and Kimberly A. Coffey, research assistant professor, and Sara B. Algoe, assistant professor, both of psychology, in UNC\u2019s College of Arts and Sciences.
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News Services contact<\/b>: Kathy Neal, interim health and science editor, (919) 740-5673 (cell\/vmail) or kcneal@unc.edu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Human bodies recognize at the molecular level that not all happiness is created equal, responding in ways that can help or hinder physical health, according to new research led by Barbara L. 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