Born miserable: 'Some genetically programmed to be negative'

Are you perceived to be a pessimist? Blame your genes, for researchers say that some people are genetically programmed to be negative.

A new study has revealed the amount of a chemical in the brain affects how people view the world -- in fact, the researchers discovered that levels of a molecule, neuropeptide Y (NPY), directly relates to whether people have a 'glass half empty' or 'glass half full' attitude towards life.

Those with lower levels of the substance are much more negative and find it more difficult to deal with stressful situations; they are also more susceptible to depression, say the researchers.

The team at University of Michigan believe the amount of NPY in the brain is genetically programmed and hope the discovery could lead to early diagnosis of and prevention of psychiatric illness, 'The Daily Telegraph' reported.

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the researchers scanned the brain activity of a number of volunteers as they viewed neutral words (such as "material") negatively charged words (like "murderer"), and positively charge words (like "hopeful").

In response to negative words, subjects with low levels of NPY showed strong activation in the prefrontal cortex, which is involved with processing emotion, while subjects with high NPY demonstrated a much smaller response.

In a second test, healthy subjects reported their emotional experiences during a stressful challenge. Saline solution was injected into the jaw muscle, which produces moderate pain for 20 minutes, but no lasting harm.

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