Does personality predict health and well-being? A metasynthesis.

Strickhouser, Jason E.; Zell, Ethan; Križan, Zlatan

doi:10.1037/hea0000475

Cited by 354 publications

(298 citation statements)

References 58 publications

(108 reference statements)

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“…However, there is now mostly agreement that individual differences in personality are associated with behaviours in other contexts (for impressive recent studies, see [46,47]). There is also considerable evidence that individual differences in personality are associated with later-life outcomes, such as relationship stability, success in school and work, socioeconomic status, happiness, mental and physical health, and length of life [48][49][50][51].…”

Section: The Two Disciplines Of Animal Personality Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

A human model for primate personality

Weiss¹

2017

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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In this article, I review the literature to determine how successful the latent trait theory model of personality from differential psychology has been for studying personality in non-human primates. The evidence for the success of this model is quite good, and offers insights and directions for personality research in primates and other animals. This, I conclude, stems from (i) the human trait model's simplicity, and (ii) the fact that the human differential model of personality developed in the face of harsh criticism, which led researchers to test and refine their models. Animal models of human behaviour and vice versaThe question of whether studies of human behaviour can contribute to the understanding of behavioural evolution is an old one, and the debate that it has engendered is ongoing. In this paper, I will show that using a 'human model' of personality, developed within differential psychology, to study the evolutionary origins of individual differences in behaviour, affect and cognition (i.e. personality) in non-human primates (from now on, primates) has been a successful enterprise. Moreover, in a move that I hope does not distress the editors, I will sidestep answering directly the question posed by this special issue. Instead, I will describe why the human model is useful for studying primate personality and how it came to be that way.Before discussing human models, I will present an overview of animal models. Animal models have been an important and powerful tool for learning about the evolutionary origins of humans behaviour [1]. One would think then that critics of this model would be limited to the likes of creationists [2]. Unfortunately, displeasure and discomfort with the notion that we can learn about our behaviour and its evolution by studying animals has not been limited to people outside the purview of evolutionary biology. For example, because he viewed them as excusing human vices, such as sexism, Stephen J. Gould wrote essays for scientific and lay audiences that criticized adaptationist explanations for human behaviour that were based on studies of animals [3].To some, the use of human models to understand animal behaviour is also controversial. Using humans as models to understand the evolutionary bases of behaviour has a history that dates back at least as far as the use of animal models. The use of human models is rooted in the notion that evolution is gradual, and so related species will tend to be similar [4]. Prominent examples of the use of human models in the history of comparative psychology include Wolfgang Kö hler's investigations into the intelligence of chimpanzees [5], and work by Robert Yerkes [6] and his colleagues, Donald Hebb [7] and Meredith Crawford [8], on chimpanzee personality. These and similar pursuits continue into the present day, and have been enjoined by others (see articles in this special issue).The view that human behaviour can inform us about animal behaviour has been criticized by biologists and psychologists. One criticism is that the use of human m...

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Section: The Two Disciplines Of Animal Personality Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

A human model for primate personality

Weiss¹

2017

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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“…Allen et al (2016) found that the link between neuroticism and sleep difficulties is mediated by its association with the tendency to experience more negative affect, whereas extraversion is associated with better sleep quality through its link with more positive affect. Moreover, neuroticism is related to higher stress sensitivity (Friedman & Kern, 2014; Leger, Charles, Turiano, & D’Almeida, in press), and worse mental and physical health (Strickhouser, Zell, & Krizan, in press; Sutin et al, 2013), which can disrupt sleep quality. Extraverted and conscientious individuals have better mental and physical health (Strickhouser et al, in press), and lower reactivity to stressors (Leger et al, in press), which may lead to better sleep quality.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, neuroticism is related to higher stress sensitivity (Friedman & Kern, 2014; Leger, Charles, Turiano, & D’Almeida, in press), and worse mental and physical health (Strickhouser, Zell, & Krizan, in press; Sutin et al, 2013), which can disrupt sleep quality. Extraverted and conscientious individuals have better mental and physical health (Strickhouser et al, in press), and lower reactivity to stressors (Leger et al, in press), which may lead to better sleep quality. In addition, higher neuroticism and lower conscientiousness are related to health-related behaviors that can undermine sleep quality, such as physical inactivity, smoking, and alcohol consumption (Hakulinen et al, 2015a, 2015b; Sutin et al, 2016).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Personality and sleep quality: Evidence from four prospective studies.

Stéphan¹,

Sutin²,

Bayard³

et al. 2018

Health Psychology

109

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Objective The present study examined the longitudinal association between personality traits and sleep quality in four samples of middle-aged and older adults. Method Participants (N > 22,000) were adults aged 30 to 107 years old from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS), the Midlife in the United States Study (MIDUS), the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), and the Midlife in Japan Study (MIDJA). Personality and sleep quality were assessed at baseline and again 4 to 10 years later. Results Scoring lower on neuroticism and higher on extraversion was associated with better sleep quality at baseline and over time, with effect sizes larger than those of demographic factors. Low conscientiousness was associated with a worsening of sleep quality over time. Openness and agreeableness were unrelated to sleep quality. Poor sleep quality at baseline was associated with steeper declines in extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness and a smaller decrease in neuroticism over time. Conclusion Replicable findings across samples support longitudinal associations between personality and sleep quality. This study identified specific personality traits that are associated with poor and worsening sleep quality, and substantiated previous findings that poor sleep quality is associated with detrimental personality trajectories.

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“…To explain why certain people are healthier than others, a wide variety of personality concepts and their relationships with health outcomes have been studied. A recent metasynthesis provides some of the most compelling evidence to date that personality predicts overall health and well‐being (Strickhouser, Zell, & Krizan, 2017). University students, in particular, are frequently exposed to unhealthy behaviors and exhibit low HPB, and Type D personality has been reported to associate with health behaviors, health status, and QoL (Gilmour & Williams, 2012; Mols & Denollet, 2010; Williams & Wingate, 2012; Williams et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Type D personality on quality of life in university students: The mediating effect of health‐promoting behavior and subjective health status

Kim

Nho

Kim

2020

Psychology in the Schools

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This study aimed to test a hypothetical path model estimating the influence of Type D personality on health‐promoting behaviors (HPB), subjective health status, and quality of life (QoL) in university students, and to verify the mediating effects of HPB and subjective health status between Type D personality and QoL. A structural equation model involving 380 university students was used. Data were collected between November and December 2018 via structured questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS 25.0 and Amos 23.0. The model's fit indices were adequate. Type D personality had a direct effect on QoL and an indirect effect on QoL via HPB and subjective health status. Type D personality, HPB, and subjective health status explained 67.6% of the total variance in QoL. Intervention programs that consider Type D personality, HPB, and subjective health status may be useful to improve university students' QoL.

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Does personality predict health and well-being? A metasynthesis.

Cited by 354 publications

References 58 publications

A human model for primate personality

A human model for primate personality

Personality and sleep quality: Evidence from four prospective studies.

Influence of Type D personality on quality of life in university students: The mediating effect of health‐promoting behavior and subjective health status

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