Scientists have found that the so called fat gene FTO is also a happy gene

FTO is the major genetic contributor to obesity. But it is also associated with an 8% reduction in the risk of depression. Researchers at McMaster University in Canada had been investigating whether there was a link between obesity and depression. But when they investigated the genetic and psychiatric status of patients enrolled in the EpiDREAM study, led by the Population Health Research Institute, they found that the opposite was true. The study analysed 17,200 DNA samples from participants in 21 countries. Results showed that those with the the previously identified FTO gene - the fat gene - showed significantly less signs of depression. The study finding was confirmed by analyzing the genetic status of patients in three additional international studies.