Personality and longevity: knowns, unknowns, and implications for public health and personalized medicine

Abstract

We review evidence for links between personality traits and longevity. We provide an overview of personality for health scientists, using the primary organizing framework used in the study of personality and longevity. We then review data on various aspects of personality linked to longevity. In general, there is good evidence that higher level of conscientiousness and lower levels of hostility and Type D or "distressed" personality are associated with greater longevity. Limited evidence suggests that extraversion, openness, perceived control, and low levels of emotional suppression may be associated with longer lifespan. Findings regarding neuroticism are mixed, supporting the notion that many component(s) of neuroticism detract from life expectancy, but some components at some levels may be healthy or protective. Overall, evidence suggests various personality traits are significant predictors of longevity and points to several promising directions for further study. We conclude by discussing the implications of these links for epidemiologic research and personalized medicine and lay out a translational research agenda for integrating the psychology of individual differences into public health and medicine.

Figure 1

Personality phenotype is thought to influence longevity through physiological and behavioral pathways leading to health decline. This occurs in the context of environmental (physical or social) and individual genetic influences, which may enter into risk chains directly or modify them indirectly.

Figure 2

An example of specific traits with major loadings on each of the Big 5. In the diagram, the two compound traits studied with respect to longevity, hostility and Type D, are combinations of traits from different Big 5 dimensions. Numerous other traits and combinations exist; see [49] for a comprehensive mapping of specific traits composing each of the Big 5, and [86] for a comprehensive analysis of compound traits composed of 2 Big 5, with a similar perspective also presented in [52].

Figure 3

The indirect selection (a), compensatory-cumulative (b), and vulnerability (c) models of the personality-SES interface in health.

Figure 4

Personality reflects a wide array of unmeasured factors relevant to health that can confound associations between nonrandomized predictors and health outcomes; measuring and adjusting for personality reduces this “healthy subject” bias in a parsimonious fashion.