Personality is seemingly way more important than we realised, when it comes to longevity.
A major new study from the University of Limerick has found that personality traits can play a significant role in how long we live.
The research analysed nearly six million years’ worth of human life data, making it one of the most comprehensive studies ever conducted on personality and longevity. The findings were published in the prestigious Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
What Aspects of Personality Did the Researchers Study?
The research team reviewed long-term (longitudinal) studies from four continents, examining data from 569,859 people over almost six million person-years, during which 43,851 deaths occurred.
They focused on the five major personality traits often used in psychology:
- Neuroticism
- Extraversion
- Conscientiousness
- Openness
- Agreeableness
Their goal was to understand whether these traits were linked to a person’s risk of death over time.
Personality Traits That Matter Most
The results were striking.
People with higher levels of neuroticism, meaning they are more prone to anxiety, worry, and emotional instability, were found to have a higher risk of dying earlier, particularly at younger ages.
On the other hand, conscientiousness, being organised, disciplined, and reliable, was strongly linked to living longer. Each increase in conscientiousness was associated with a 10% lower risk of death.
Extraversion, which includes being social, energetic, and outgoing, was also linked to a reduced risk of death, especially in countries such as the United States and Australia. Researchers suggest this may be because social engagement and active lifestyles offer greater health benefits in some cultures than others.
Interestingly, openness (curiosity and creativity) and agreeableness (kindness and cooperativeness) showed little or no consistent connection to mortality risk.
How Big Are These Effects?
The researchers emphasised that the influence of personality on longevity is similar in size to well-known public health factors, such as socio-economic status.
Across all studies:
- Each one-point increase in neuroticism increased the risk of death by 3%
- Each one-point increase in extraversion reduced risk by 3%
- Each one-point increase in conscientiousness reduced risk by 10%
The average participant age was 61, and 53% were women.
Why Personality Affects Health
According to the researchers, personality traits likely affect health through everyday behaviours, such as exercise, smoking, alcohol use, stress management, and social connection, as well as biological processes that influence long-term wellbeing.
Dr Máire McGeehan, Assistant Professor of Psychology at UL and lead author of the study, explained:
“This review brings together decades of research and clearly highlights the critical role that personality plays in longevity. How we think, feel and behave doesn’t just affect our happiness, it can influence how long we live.”
Senior author Dr Páraic S. Ó’Súilleabháin added that the findings open the door to future research on how personality-based interventions could support better health across the lifespan.
A Global Collaboration
The research was conducted in collaboration with academics from University of Limerick, Florida State University, West Virginia University, and Northwestern University.
The full study, Personality and Mortality Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Data, is available via its DOI link and was published on 8 December 2025 in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
