It has become known why some people take everything to heart

An international team of scientists led by researchers from King's College London has discovered genes that may explain why some people react more acutely to what happens around them - both to good events and bad ones. The results are published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.

The study showed that a person's sensitivity to the environment affects how they manifest anxiety, depression, signs of ADHD, autism, and ordinary emotional experiences.

The work used data from nearly 22,000 identical twins from different countries. Since such twins have identical genes but may live in different conditions, this allowed scientists to identify specific DNA segments associated with greater or lesser sensitivity to the external world.

It turned out that some people are naturally more receptive: they react more strongly to stress or, conversely, benefit more from positive events. This helps to understand why the same circumstances can affect the mental state of different people in different ways. For example, genes that influence brain development are associated with sensitivity to autistic traits, while genes responsible for stress responses are linked to symptoms of depression.

The study authors note that this is an important step toward a deeper understanding of the interaction between genes and environment. In the future, such discoveries could help in developing personalized methods for treating and preventing mental disorders.