A convenient way to find the user option variables that you want to change, and then change them, is with M-x customize. This command creates a customization buffer with which you can browse through the Emacs user options in a logically organized structure, then edit and set their values. You can also use the customization buffer to save settings permanently. (Not all Emacs user options are included in this structure as of yet, but we are adding the rest.)
Examining Variables Hooks