byUniversity of Limerick

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A study from the University of Limerick analyzing almost six million person-years of data has revealed that personality traits are linked to longevity and risk of death.

The research highlights that personality is likely associated with risk of death through an influence on a range of health behaviors and biological processes which play a role in long-term health.

Recentlypublishedin theJournal of Personality and Social Psychology,the review compiled a vast body of evidence from an extensive range of longitudinal studies across four continents.

Five personality traits were analyzed as part of the study, which included data from 569,859 people, representing 5,997,667 person-years and 43,851 deaths. Associations with the mortality risk of neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness traits were all explored.

Among the key findings were:

Dr. Máire McGeehan, Assistant Professor in UL's Department of Psychology and researcher in UL's Health Research Institute (HRI), led the study. She explained, "This review brings together decades of longitudinal research and clearly highlights the critical role that personality plays in longevity. Our work shows that how we think, feel and behave is not only linked to life satisfaction and social relationships, but also to how long we live. Personality is a critical driver of health and longevity. It is important to emphasize that these effects are similar in size to those of commonly consideredpublic health determinants, such as socio-economic status."

Senior author and principal investigator Dr. Páraic S Ó'Súilleabháin, Associate Professor in UL's Department of Psychology, said, "This truly is a groundbreaking piece of research that will drive a vast range of future research into how our tendencies to think, act, and feel, are related to how long we live. This study builds on other research from our group indicating that personality is critically important to health across the lifespan."

This work was carried out in collaboration with researchers from the University of Limerick, Florida State University, West Virginia University, and Northwestern University.

More information Máire McGeehan et al, Personality and mortality risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal data., Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2025). DOI: 10.1037/pspp0000577 Journal information: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Provided by University of Limerick