The Aging Well Personality

Type A’s and Loners take note. If you want to live longer, lighten up and join the club. When Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine's (BUSM) New England Centenarian Study looked at the personality traits most associated with healthy living into old age and longevity, they found those who were less uptight and friendlier lived longer, healthier lives.

Previous research on siblings and children of centenarians (people who live to be at least 100 years old) have documented that exceptional longevity runs strongly in families. Studies of the children of centenarians showed that their mortality is 120 percent lower than the average population and they also stay healthier for longer too, contracting conditions such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus far less often and far later in life than typical. Because basic personality traits are inherited, the researchers suspected that certain personality features may be important to the healthy aging observed in the centenarians’ offspring.
It did. Both the male and female children of the super aged scored in the low for neuroticism (meaning they weren’t high-strung worriers) and in the high range for extraversion (meaning they were social animals). Women also scored comparatively high in agreeableness but otherwise, both sexes scored within normal range for two other personality traits, conscientiousness and openness.

“It's likely that the low neuroticism and higher extraversion will confer health benefits for these subjects," said senior author Thomas Perls, MD, MPH, director of the New England Centenarian Study. "For example, people who are lower in neuroticism are able to manage or regulate stressful situations more effectively than those with higher neuroticism levels. Similarly, high extraversion levels have been associated with establishing friendships and looking after yourself," he said.

For information and advice about caring for elderly relatives, visit caring.com.