Genome-wide association study of positive emotion identifies a genetic variant and a role for microRNAs

Positive affect denotes a state of pleasurable engagement with the environment eliciting positive emotion such as contentment, enthusiasm, or happiness. Positive affect is associated with favorable psychological, physical, and economic outcomes in many longitudinal studies. With a heritability of ≤64%, positive affect is substantially influenced by genetic factors; however, our understanding of genetic pathways underlying individual differences in positive affect is still limited. Here, through a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of positive affect in African American participants, we identify a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs322931, significantly associated with positive affect at p