[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/7334\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EQ\u0026A: Why some people\u2019s wellbeing has improved during the pandemic\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhy do some people fare better than others in times of distress, and what can we learn from them? Part of the answer lies in our genes, she explained.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow do you define wellbeing?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI consider wellbeing as an indicator of feeling well and functioning well. Everything about the concept is subjective \u2014\u0026nbsp;as long as someone says I feel well, I don\u0027t really care if that is also objectively the case. There is actually no objective idea of wellbeing because it\u0027s all about how you feel.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWellbeing is also a catalyst \u2014 it\u0027s not the endpoint. It comes first \u2014\u0026nbsp;when you feel well, you are able to function well and to connect to other people. Large studies show that people who are happier function better, contribute to the socio-economic status of a country, to social welfare and have stronger social relationships and networks. Overall, they\u0027re way less vulnerable to difficult circumstances. So actually, we should invest a lot in the wellbeing of people because if people feel well, they have a lot more to add to society.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESo what is your research looking into?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOur main research question (for the project \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/771057\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EWELL-BEING\u003C\/a\u003E) is to understand differences in wellbeing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe are doing this using three broad sources \u2014\u0026nbsp;twin-family studies to understand the interplay of genes and the environment; large scale molecular genetic studies to understand the evolution of the human genome; and extensive database linkage studies to get a more objective assessment of environmental exposure. This data is sourced using online surveys from volunteers in the Netherlands, collecting biological materials like DNA samples and linking it with the different databases. We\u0027re also using social media data and mobile phone apps to get real-time data on wellbeing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat was the plan \u2014\u0026nbsp;and then Covid-19 hit. So we created a new survey, and sent it out to a larger group where we included wellbeing measures but also related questions about Covid-19, including questions about whether the person or their family was infected, as well as questions about the general effect of the pandemic, job security, stress levels, and loneliness.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENeither the old nor the new survey contains direct questions about vocation or socio-economic status, but we do have information on the post-codes of volunteers \u2014\u0026nbsp;in the Netherlands, areas are typically clearly defined with respect to socio-economic status.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGoing forward, we want to capture the fluctuations in wellbeing \u2014 for example, people are happier on Fridays than Mondays, and they\u0027re happier when they\u0027re outdoors versus indoors. We want to learn why so we can help people who suffer more.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBy conducting these surveys online and through mobile phones, isn\u2019t your data biased on the digitally literate? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf you look at phone and computer use in the Netherlands, I\u0027m not worried that it\u2019s a very big problem. The problem is that this data must come from volunteers, because wellbeing is subjective, and people who sign up tend to be of a higher educational level.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAnd what was the difference in results you got before and after Covid-19?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESo far, we have compared the survey data (5,000 people pre-pandemic and about 18,000 people post-pandemic) but we still have to link it to the environmental and genetic datasets.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut in terms of the surveys, we saw a reduction across the three measures\u0026nbsp;- happiness, meaning in life, and optimism - after the pandemic emerged. But, about 20% of the people actually reported increased levels of happiness, optimism and meaning in life. So, I think that\u0027s an important message \u2014\u0026nbsp;that Covid-19 didn\u0027t have a negative effect on everybody.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe\u2019re not entirely sure about why that subset of people actually had an improved sense of wellbeing. Partly, it could be about resilience \u2014\u0026nbsp;we did a project recently on the overlap of wellbeing and resilience and found that this overlap is largely genetically driven. So partly, it\u0027s resilience and genetic differences between people \u2014 these people are just better able to cope with trying circumstances.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBefore the pandemic, many people lived a very busy, complicated life. We were a very overloaded society. And then, forced to slow down by Covid-19, some people realised they probably didn\u0027t live the life they liked, spent more time at home with their families \u2014 so there was some stress relief. For those who weren\u2019t personally affected by the pandemic, it could be that they feel good about helping others.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd we hope at some point \u2014\u0026nbsp;it\u2019s far too early now \u2014\u0026nbsp;that we are able to learn from those who do well to help those that don\u2019t.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018I think that\u0026#039;s an important message \u2014\u0026amp;nbsp;that Covid-19 didn\u0026#039;t have a negative effect on everybody.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProf. Meike Bartels, VU Amsterdam, the Netherlands\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECan you elaborate on the role of genetics in wellbeing?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe conducted several twin-family studies \u2014\u0026nbsp;these studies allow researchers to observe the influence of genetics in different environments \u2014\u0026nbsp;to evaluate how much variance in wellbeing could be explained by genes. We found that about 40% of the differences between people in their levels of wellbeing could be explained by genetic differences.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThen, armed with that data, we started a global collaboration to study DNA samples and wellbeing measures in about 300,000 individuals, and then we did a second study of about a million individuals. We found over 300 locations on the human genome could account for differences in wellbeing \u2014\u0026nbsp;but I must add that all these genetic variants altogether add up to only about 1% of the wellbeing differences between people. So, it\u0027s just the beginning of our understanding of the influences of the genome.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGiven your research so far, what is the biggest factor influencing wellbeing? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI think, in general, what matters the most is that there should at least be someone who cares about you. Some people need many people who care about them, and some only need one person to have the same level of wellbeing. Loneliness and wellbeing are connected.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat are the future applications of your research?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe have robust findings for the genetic underpinnings of wellbeing and so I think that\u0027s important for future research. We also have learned that there\u2019s an interplay between genes and environment, and that some environmental factors are key for some people, but not for others. So that tells us to step beyond the one-size-fits-all approach.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI think in an ideal world we should learn from those who do well in sub-optimal circumstances to help those who suffer. In the future, we could also create genetic scores linking genetic predisposition to wellbeing.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThis interview has been edited for clarity and length.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU\u0027s European Research Council. 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