Good morning ☀️
Have you ever heard of the serotonin transporter gene 🧬?
Serotonin is a hormone secreted by the brain when a person feels happy, during fun moments, or when experiencing great pleasure. However, there are people whose serotonin is absorbed quickly and those whose serotonin remains in the brain for a longer time.
The time serotonin remains in the brain is determined by the serotonin transporter gene 🧬, which is a type of DNA ☀️.
Simply put, people who have serotonin in their brains for a longer time tend to have a positive mindset, while those who absorb serotonin quickly tend to have a negative mindset 🌻🌻 (to put it simply ✨✨).
To delve a bit deeper, the serotonin transporter gene, known as SLC6A4, is a type of DNA that plays a role when serotonin is produced and absorbed in the brain. The serotonin transporter (SERT) facilitates the absorption of serotonin. SLC6A4 is mainly divided into two types: HTTLPR and STin2.
HTTLPR refers to the combination of different lengths of alleles, such as the short S allele and the long L allele ✨✨.
STin2 indicates the number of repeats, such as 10 repeats or 12 repeats, showing how many times serotonin is absorbed ✨✨.
People with the short S allele absorb less serotonin, while those with the long L allele absorb more serotonin ☀️☀️. Thus, people with the long L allele have more serotonin than those with the short S allele ✨✨.
For STin2, people with 12 repeats absorb more serotonin into the brain compared to those with 10 repeats, resulting in lower serotonin concentration and more negative feelings 🌻🌻.
Are you following along? 😂😂✨✨
At first, this might sound confusing, but 😂😂
The serotonin transporter gene is also related to mental illnesses such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. These conditions can result from methylation of the HTTLPR DNA, where a methyl group (CH3) attaches to the DNA chromosome 🧬, stopping its function 🐝🐝.
Thus, the function of SERT is inhibited, making individuals more prone to obsessive-compulsive disorder ✨✨.
As such, the serotonin transporter gene influences mood fluctuations, but its variations also differ across continents. Data shows that people worldwide with the STin2 gene are categorized into those with the 10/10 allele and those with the 12/12 allele ☀️☀️.
The 12/12 allele, associated with negativity, is found in 79.15% of Japanese 🇯🇵, 84% of Koreans 🇰🇷, 80% of Chinese 🇨🇳, and 85% of Singaporeans 🇸🇬. In contrast, only 31% of Australians 🇦🇺 and 26% of Germans 🇩🇪 have it 😂😂.
The 10/10 allele, associated with positivity, is found in only 1% of Japanese 🇯🇵, 2% of Koreans 🇰🇷, 1% of Chinese 🇨🇳, and 2% of Vietnamese 🇻🇳. However, it is found in 19% of Australians 🇦🇺, 23% of Brazilians 🇧🇷, and 18% of French people 🇫🇷.
Data indicates that the 12/12 allele is more common in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa, while the 10/10 allele is prevalent in Europe, Australia, and the Americas ✨✨. The high prevalence of negativity in Africa was surprising 😂😂.
The differences in serotonin transporter genes across the world likely result from evolutionary adaptations to different environments ✨✨.
There is a positive correlation between the 12/12 allele and maintaining social order and conservative thinking. Conversely, the 10/10 allele correlates positively with individualistic thinking ✨✨.
People with the 12/12 allele tend to follow societal rules more closely, while those with the 10/10 allele tend to be more optimistic and individualistic ✨✨.
I was curious if there is any correlation between the serotonin transporter gene and global suicide rates. According to 2023 data, the top 10 countries with the highest suicide rates are:
1. Lithuania 🇱🇹
2. Kiribati 🇰🇮
3. Micronesia 🇫🇲
4. Suriname 🇸🇷
5. Zimbabwe 🇿🇼
6. South Africa 🇿🇦
7. Mozambique 🇲🇿
8. Central African Republic 🇨🇫
9. Russia 🇷🇺
10. South Korea 🇰🇷
While many African countries are included and South Korea is also present, it is essential to note that suicide rates are deeply related to the economic conditions of a country. Thus, it's not conclusive to correlate these data directly, but it is very interesting 🌻🌻.
What did you think?
This time, I researched the serotonin transporter gene 🧬, and it was a topic I found fascinating. I hope you found it insightful as well ✨✨.
Thank you for watching ✨✨.
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