TY - JOUR
T1 - A Genetic Investigation of the Well-Being Spectrum
AU - Baselmans, B. M.L.
AU - van de Weijer, M. P.
AU - Abdellaoui, A.
AU - Vink, J. M.
AU - Hottenga, J. J.
AU - Willemsen, G.
AU - Nivard, M. G.
AU - de Geus, E. J.C.
AU - Boomsma, D. I.
AU - Bartels, M.
PY - 2019/5/15
Y1 - 2019/5/15
N2 - The interrelations among well-being, neuroticism, and depression can be captured in a so-called well-being spectrum (3-phenotype well-being spectrum, 3-WBS). Several other human traits are likely linked to the 3-WBS. In the present study, we investigate how the 3-WBS can be expanded. First, we constructed polygenic risk scores for the 3-WBS and used this score to predict a series of traits that have been associated with well-being in the literature. We included information on loneliness, big five personality traits, self-rated health, and flourishing. The 3-WBS polygenic score predicted all the original 3-WBS traits and additionally loneliness, self-rated health, and extraversion (R 2 between 0.62% and 1.58%). Next, using LD score regression, we calculated genetic correlations between the 3-WBS and the traits of interest. From all candidate traits, loneliness and self-rated health were found to have the strongest genetic correlations (r g = − 0.79, and r g = 0.64, respectively) with the 3-WBS. Lastly, we use Genomic SEM to investigate the factor structure of the proposed spectrum. The best model fit was obtained for a two-factor model including the 5-WBS traits, with two highly correlated factors representing the negative- and positive end of the spectrum. Based on these analyses we propose to include loneliness and self-rated health in the WBS and use a 5-phenotype well-being spectrum in future studies to gain more insight into the determinants of human well-being.
AB - The interrelations among well-being, neuroticism, and depression can be captured in a so-called well-being spectrum (3-phenotype well-being spectrum, 3-WBS). Several other human traits are likely linked to the 3-WBS. In the present study, we investigate how the 3-WBS can be expanded. First, we constructed polygenic risk scores for the 3-WBS and used this score to predict a series of traits that have been associated with well-being in the literature. We included information on loneliness, big five personality traits, self-rated health, and flourishing. The 3-WBS polygenic score predicted all the original 3-WBS traits and additionally loneliness, self-rated health, and extraversion (R 2 between 0.62% and 1.58%). Next, using LD score regression, we calculated genetic correlations between the 3-WBS and the traits of interest. From all candidate traits, loneliness and self-rated health were found to have the strongest genetic correlations (r g = − 0.79, and r g = 0.64, respectively) with the 3-WBS. Lastly, we use Genomic SEM to investigate the factor structure of the proposed spectrum. The best model fit was obtained for a two-factor model including the 5-WBS traits, with two highly correlated factors representing the negative- and positive end of the spectrum. Based on these analyses we propose to include loneliness and self-rated health in the WBS and use a 5-phenotype well-being spectrum in future studies to gain more insight into the determinants of human well-being.
KW - Flourishing
KW - Genetic correlation
KW - Loneliness
KW - Personality
KW - Self-rated health
KW - Well-being spectrum
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U2 - 10.1007/s10519-019-09951-0
DO - 10.1007/s10519-019-09951-0
M3 - Article
C2 - 30810878
SN - 0001-8244
VL - 49
SP - 286
EP - 297
JO - Behavior Genetics
JF - Behavior Genetics
IS - 3
ER -