Can We Change Our Happiness Set Point? The Science Says Yes

There’s a popular belief in the world of positive psychology that we’re born with a fixed level of happiness, a kind of emotional thermostat we can’t really change. The research that made this famous suggested that around 50% of our happiness is determined by genetics, 10% by our life circumstances, and 40% by intentional activities and choices.

If you’ve ever read that and thought, Well, that’s a bit deflating…, you’re not alone.

But here’s where things get exciting and empowering.

The science is evolving. And it's showing us that we're not as bound to our genetic set point as we once thought.

Let’s Rewind for a Moment

The “50-10-40” model came from research by psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky and her team, who explored what truly impacts long-term wellbeing. The key takeaway was that while half of your happiness might be your baseline, nearly half is within your control.

That in itself is encouraging, but what if we could expand that 40%?

What if the 50% isn’t a wall, but a doorway?

Enter: Neuroplasticity and Epigenetics

Thanks to modern neuroscience, we now know that the brain is not hardwired. Far from it. Through a phenomenon called neuroplasticity, our brains are constantly adapting. New thought patterns, habits and behaviours can literally rewire our emotional experience.

This means that regular practices like gratitude, mindfulness, movement, and purposeful social connection can create long-term changes in the way we feel, think and respond to life.

In other words, we can raise the baseline.

Then there’s epigenetics, the science that shows our genes are not our destiny. While we may inherit certain tendencies, those genes can be turned on or off based on lifestyle, mindset and environment.

Stress can activate genes associated with low mood. But healing can deactivate them.

Daily habits, nourishing relationships, quality sleep, even your thoughts, they’re all in conversation with your DNA.

So, Are We Stuck With That 50%?

Not anymore. That 50% is no longer a sentence, it’s a starting point.

Where you begin isn’t where you have to stay. Science now affirms what many of us have felt intuitively all along:

You can grow your happiness. You can shape your emotional baseline. You have more agency than you’ve been told.

Your genes are the blueprint. But you are the architect.

And if you’re someone who’s been on a personal development path, who’s practised healing, mindset, energy work, or self-reflection, chances are, you’ve already shifted that internal set point more than you realise.

Why This Matters (More Than Ever)

Many of the soul-led, driven people I work with are doing incredible things in the world, but still feel a gap. Like they’re ticking all the right boxes, but the joy isn’t landing. That’s not because they’re broken, it’s because they’ve outgrown the idea that success equals happiness.

They’re craving something deeper, truer, freer.

And the good news? That kind of joy isn’t reserved for the lucky few.

It’s not about pretending life is perfect or bypassing the hard days. It’s about building a life that’s aligned, energised and led from within, where happiness is no longer a peak moment, but a way of being.

A new default.

Final Thought: You Are Not Fixed

You are not a static equation. You are a dynamic, ever-evolving being, with the power to shape your reality from the inside out.

So if you’ve been feeling like you “should” be happier by now, or like there’s something wrong with you for not feeling more joy… please know this:

There is nothing wrong with you.

You’re simply at a powerful turning point, and science is finally catching up with what your soul already knows.

You’re not behind. You’re becoming.

And you get to choose how brilliant that journey feels.

Find out how to harness this energy in a circle of like-minded, uplifting people in our member’s club: https://www.lucyshrimpton.com/membership