Less Than Jubilant Genes: Why The Brits Keep Calm

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep. The travel writer Eric Weiner once said British people don't just enjoy misery, they get off on it. There may be a reason. The University of Warwick studied genes of people from different nations. The study found British people have a short form of the gene controlling serotonin, a chemical linked with happiness. The British are more disposed to grumpiness then the Danes or the Dutch; only the French are worse off. Keep calm and carry on. You're listening to MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.