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Updated: Mar 6, 2026

An Allele-specific Gene Expression Assay to Test the Functional Basis of Genetic Associations
Published on: November 3, 2010
The association between well-being and the COMT gene: Dispositional gratitude and forgiveness as mediators
Jinting Liu1, Pingyuan Gong2, Xiaoxue Gao3
1China Centre for Special Economic Zone Research, Shenzhen University, Guangdong 518060, China; Research Centre for Brain Function and Psychological Science, Shenzhen University, Guangdong 518060, China; Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Backround:
Previous studies have demonstrated the contributions of genetic variants and positive psychological traits (e.g. gratitude and forgiveness) to well-being. However, little is known about how genes interact with positive traits to affect well-being.
Methods:
To investigate to what extent the COMT Val158Met polymorphism modulates well-being and to what extent dispositional gratitude and forgiveness mediate the individual differences in well-being, 445 participants were recruited and required to complete a battery of questionnaires.
Results:
We found that individuals with a smaller number of the Met alleles reported greater well-being, less depressive symptoms, and greater tendencies for gratitude and forgiveness. Moreover, dispositional gratitude and forgiveness mediated the genotype effects on well-being and depressive symptoms. These results remained significant after controlling for non-genetic factors (socioeconomic status, religious beliefs, romantic relationship status, parenting style).
Limitation:
The sample size limits the generalizability of results.
Conclusion:
This study demonstrates the contribution of the COMT Val158Met polymorphism to individual differences in well-being and suggests a potential psychobiological pathway from dopaminergic and noradrenergic systems to happiness.
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