Open AccessHighs and lows: Genetic susceptibility to daily events
Author(s) -
Maurizio Sicorello,
Linda Dieckmann,
Dirk Moser,
Vanessa Lux,
Maike Luhmann,
A. Neubauer,
Wolff Schlotz,
Robert Kumsta
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0237001
Subject(s) - serotonin transporter , allele , stressor , affect (linguistics) , 5 httlpr , genetic predisposition , genetics , personality , psychology , biology , clinical psychology , gene , genotype , social psychology , communication
Why people differ in their susceptibility to external events is essential to our understanding of personality, human development, and mental disorders. Genes explain a substantial portion of these differences. Specifically, genes influencing the serotonin system are hypothesized to be differential susceptibility factors , determining a person’s reactivity to both positive and negative environments. We tested whether genetic variation in the serotonin transporter ( 5-HTTLPR ) is a differential susceptibility factor for daily events. Participants ( N = 326, 77% female, mean age = 25, range = 17–36) completed smartphone questionnaires four times a day over four to five days, measuring stressors, uplifts, positive and negative affect. Affect was predicted from environment valence in the previous hour on a within-person level using three-level autoregressive linear mixed models. The 5-HTTLPR fulfilled all criteria of a differential susceptibility factor: Positive affect in carriers of the short allele (S) was less reactive to both uplifts and stressors, compared to homozygous carriers of the long allele (L/L). This pattern might reflect relative affective inflexibility in S-allele carriers. Our study provides insight into the serotonin system’s general role in susceptibility and highlights the need to assess the whole spectrum of naturalistic experiences.