Research indicates that being organized and eager to help others could not only enhance your personality but also potentially add years to your lifespan.
In contrast, leaving tasks until the last second and having a generally anxious or moody demeanor might correlate with a shorter life.
A study published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research suggests that personality traits, not just measurable health indicators like blood pressure, might help healthcare professionals identify individual health risks.
According to Professor Rene Mottus, a specialist in aging and co-author of the study, the team focused on detailed self-descriptions rather than broad personality types, looking closely at how individuals portrayed themselves when answering standard personality questionnaires.
Interestingly, such ordinary self-references may give clues about longevity. As Prof. Mottus pointed out, the term “active” stood out significantly during their analysis.
“Participants who labeled themselves as active displayed a remarkable 21% lower risk of mortality during the follow-up phase of the study,” he remarked in an interview with The Guardian.
The study tracked the health outcomes of over 22,000 adults over four different comprehensive studies lasting between six to twenty-eight years. Through meticulous analysis, it turned out that these specific personality nuances outperformed five larger personality categories—like openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism—when predicting health outcomes.
Prof. P raic O’S illeabh in, a psychology professor from the University of Limerick and another co-author of the study, added that the essence of this research is in their precision.
He clarified: “Our study implies that personality can influence longevity not merely as a generic impact but through a collection of specific behaviors and attitudes—traits that demonstrably affect how long we live.”
In simple terms, Prof. Mottus elaborated that it isn’t solely about being extroverted; that’s a piece of the puzzle, but having a helping hand and being industrious also plays a critical role.
Both positive traits like helpfulness and negative traits such as frequent anxiety are correlated with longer or shorter lifespans, respectively. Those who identified as often anxious, moody, or emotionally unstable were reported to have a higher mortality rate.
Nonetheless, the researchers stress that our outcomes aren’t set in stone; personality and lifespan are interlinked but fluid.
Prof. O’S illeabh in said, “Our findings propose that personality could play a valuable yet underestimated role in medical and public health fields.”
Furthermore, identifiable risk factors such as lack of physical activity and chronic illness also influenced the relationship between personality traits and lifespan.
According to research, adopting lifestyle habits that promote organization may aid in maintaining health but may also mirror underlying resilience and social habits that favor a longer life.
Dr. Ross Stewart, a personality and psychology expert from the University of Chester who wasn’t involved in the research, supported the insight from the study.
“Most previous research remained broad in its evaluation of personality traits, but this study highlights the potency behind individual descriptions and their relevance has often been understated,” Dr. Stewart expressed.
Researchers hope their important results would encourage health services to integrate personality assessments during standard evaluations, aiming to assist at-risk individuals in managing their health more effectively.
As life expectancy trends have faced a downturn in England lately, with an average decline of about nine months since 2011, this insight comes at a critical time.
According to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), a baby boy born in 2023 in the UK can expect to live to about 86.7 years, while girls lead with an estimated lifespan of 90 years. However, this gap continues to diminish over time.
Currently, the UK is home to over 16,000 centenarians, demonstrating that living over a century, while not commonplace, remains achievable.Read more
