Personality traits could define lifespan, study suggests

Are you impulsive, stressed, or moody? Perhaps organized, active, and helpful? A new study suggests that the latter traits may define the human lifespan.

Researchers have identified that specific personality traits can predict longevity, as our self-perceptions influence our emotions and behaviors.

For example, being more organized often correlates with adhering to medication schedules and maintaining healthy habits.

Traditionally, personality has been analyzed using the Big Five model, or OCEAN: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.

These study results were published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, concentrated on dividing these categories into finer, more detailed features.

The researchers had used a data sample of 22,000 people and analyzed past questionnaire responses to the Big Five, treating each individual answer as a separate aspect.

Mortality rates were monitored among participants between the age groups of six and 28.

“We found that the prediction (of mortality) basically doubles if you move away from the big five into these smaller things,” noted the study author, Rene Mottus.

He added further, “This means that there must be many possible mechanisms of how personality can end up influencing people’s longevity. So, for one person, it might be through something related to their emotion regulation. For others, it may be related to their behavior.”

According to Mottus, individuals who viewed themselves as active had a 21% lower risk of death during the study, regardless of age, gender, or medical conditions.

Features like being organized, energetic, responsible, diligent, cooperative, and meticulous were also linked with increased longevity, whereas those who saw themselves as anxious or moody were linked to a shorter lifespan.