Happiness – Genetics v. Circumstances

In a blog post for the Mayo Clinic, Edward T. Creagan, M.D. discusses some interesting findings coming out of a study of identical twins that he reviewed.  His summary:  50% of happiness is determined by genetics; 40% is determined by how we handle setbacks; and 10% comes from our external circumstances.

Here is his post:  http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/expert-blog/happiness/bgp-20056119

The take away from this is that a large component of our happiness is how we process our environment.  Raising consciousness is all about developing the awareness and skills to more successfully process what we encounter and thus maintain a higher state of happiness.

Moreover, people who have cultivated mental skills through meditation have shown remarkable abilities to influence or even override their genetics in some instances.

In an article for the Harvard Gazette, William J. Cromie writes:

“In a monastery in northern India, thinly clad Tibetan monks sat quietly in a room where the temperature was a chilly 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a yoga technique known as g Tum-mo, they entered a state of deep meditation. Other monks soaked 3-by-6-foot sheets in cold water (49 degrees) and placed them over the meditators’ shoulders. For untrained people, such frigid wrappings would produce uncontrolled shivering. If body temperatures continue to drop under these conditions, death can result. But it was not long before steam began rising from the sheets. As a result of body heat produced by the monks during meditation, the sheets dried in about an hour.”

Here’s a link to the full article: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/2002/04.18/09-tummo.html

There are many other similar types of cases where people have trained their mind to take control of things that other people’s minds can not.  It has long been said that those who become enlightened “break free of their stars,” meaning they become self-determining beings.  My opinion is that this is a short hand way of saying they master environmental factors that tend to unduly influence or control others.  There are many indicators that raising consciousness can shift a significant portion of the determining factors of happiness from our genetics, to our minds.