Happiness Gene

I have heard it said (can't remember where) that lottery winners and paraplegics return to a pre-set level of happiness about 6 months after their life changing events. One goes up, one goes down, but only for a while. Then. Back.

If that is a true statement, I have a strong empathy for many people. Those who seem to go through life as if happiness, contentment and a sense of well-being are always just out of reach, around the next corner, "if only this" or "if only that".... THEN. I would be happy. Then there are those people who seem to look to others for their source of happiness; a spouse, family, children, friends. THAT. Is a big burden to put on someone(s). Or, we could go on with 'the great american dream', the one that used to be the very definition of what it took to be happy. Materialism and consumerism replaced that dream sometime ago; I think it was in the late 70's. The replacement hasn't worked out so well either.

The Foolish Questions for the day are:

Do not only genes play into the happiness equation, but environment too? No matter how strong the happiness gene is in, say a starving child in some third world country, how could they be happy?

Lastly, Can someone's happiness quotient be re-set?