Does Your Heart Rule Your Head?

Mood and emotion affects every aspect of our lives. Being in a good mood can lift your day, while bad moods make you feel like the whole world is against you. So a positive frame of mind is pretty desirable – we all know someone who’s eternally cheerful and sometimes wish we could be more like them. But is this ‘glass-half-full’ attitude genetic?

The idea of genes altering mood may sound like a strange concept. Surely our genetics are fixed? But in fact the way our genes are expressed changes over time. Genes affect and regulate moods by controlling the production of chemicals in the brain. For example, hormones are controlled by genes, and the production of different hormones varies through life and even over the course of a day.

Scientists are also starting to discover how genes can contribute to mood disorders such as bipolar disorder and depression.

Then there is the emerging field of ‘positive psychology,’ where research focuses on the biological, social and environmental factors that contribute to our sense of well-being.

So whether you’ve got a sunny disposition or a grey and gloomy one, you can find out more about your moods and emotions at the Dana Centre. Hear from experts in the field and get the chance to ask your own questions too.

Event organised by:
The European Dana Alliance for the Brain and the Institute of Psychiatry

Speakers

Anne Farmer, Institute of Psychiatry, London
Felicia Huppert, Well-Being Institute, Cambridge
Emer O’Neill, Depression Alliance

Chair:
Mark Stevenson