Can Your Personality Increase the Length of Your Life?

According to The Longevity Project, one of the largest studies of its kind that spanned eight decades, Stanford researchers Howard S. Friedman and Leslie R. Martin have uncovered strong evidence that the length of your life is directly correlated with your personality. During this project they found that conscientiousness people, meaning those who are thorough, meticulous, careful, diligent, and reliable, lived longest lives. “The qualities of a prudent, persistent, well-organized person, like a scientist-professor—somewhat obsessive and not at all carefree are the qualities that help lead to a long life. Many of us assume that more relaxed people live longer, but it’s not necessarily the case,” the authors noted.

Looking into the possible reasons for these findings, experts hypothesize that conscientious behavior influences other behaviors. For example, conscientious people tend to make healthier choices, including who they marry, what type of careers they choose, and the lifestyle habits they most likely avoid such as reckless driving or not following their physician’s orders.

If you happen to be a more relaxed personality type, no fear. Recent studies also prove that there are many changes you can make to your daily lifestyle habits that can affect the quality and longevity of your life. . . .Read More