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. 2006 Dec;28(4):353-61.
doi: 10.1007/s11357-006-9024-6. Epub 2006 Nov 29.

Do personality characteristics predict longevity? Findings from the Tokyo Centenarian Study

Y Masui, Y Gondo, H Inagaki, N Hirose

Do personality characteristics predict longevity? Findings from the Tokyo Centenarian Study

Y Masui et al. Age (Dordr). 2006 Dec.

Abstract

To explore whether personality influences longevity we examined the personality characteristics of centenarians. We developed a new method that compares an actual personality test score for centenarians with a predicted test score for a 100-year-old, calculated from younger controls. The participants consisted of 70 cognitively intact Japanese centenarians aged 100-106 years and 1812 elderly people aged 60-84 years, all residents of Tokyo. The NEO five factor inventory (NEO-FFI) was used to assess the "big five" personality traits: neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. The results showed higher openness in both male and female centenarians, and higher conscientiousness and extraversion in female centenarians, as compared to controls. These results suggest that high scores in the specific personality traits conscientiousness, extraversion, and openness, are associated with longevity. We speculate that these personality traits contribute to longevity through health-related behavior, stress reduction, and adaptation to the challenging problems of the "oldest old".

Keywords: NEO-FFI; centenarian; longevity factors; personality traits.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Comparison of neuroticism between centenarians and younger controls by sex (left panel, men; right panel, women)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparison of extraversion between centenarians and younger controls by sex (left panel, men; right panel, women)
Figure 3
Figure 3
Comparison of openness between centenarians and younger controls by sex (left panel, men; right panel, women)
Figure 4
Figure 4
Comparison of agreeableness between centenarians and younger controls by sex (left panel, men; right panel, women)
Figure 5
Figure 5
Comparison of conscientiousness between centenarians and younger controls by sex (left panel, men; right panel, women)
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