Study Explains Why Some People View Things Negatively

People with negative views may blame their attitude in their genes. Scientists from Cornell University and partners discovered that a specific gene involved in emotional memories could influence how people focus their eyes and attention.

In their study, the subjects with the specific form of the gene in which certain amino acids are missing, had increased awareness of negative stimuli. For example, these individuals will look at a busy street and initially notice the shady character hanging out by the ATM instead of the cheerful children playing in the park.

Highly emotionally stirring events that leaves more vivid memories are stored in the brain with the help of a chemical called norepinephrine. People with missing amino acids in the ADRA2B gene have higher levels of norepinephrine in their brains, which "experience the flash of the flashbulb memory more intensely," said lead author and University of British Columbia psychologist Rebecca Todd.

The results of the study implies that the gene is not only linked to more vivid emotional memories but also makes people more inclined to noticing the negative in real time.

Read more at http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/study-links-gene-variation-to-a-darker-view-of-life/2013/10/12/728bfc76-32b8-11e3-89ae-16e186e117d8_story.html?wprss=rss_national and http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2013/09/19/0956797613492423.abstract.