Being organized and active is key for a longer life, study finds

Summary

According to a study involving over 22,000 participants followed up for a period of 6 to 28 years, those who are "active" had the strongest association with lower mortality risk, followed by "lively", "organized", "responsible", "hardworking", "thorough" (conscientiousness), and "helpful" (agreeableness).

The death risk for people with these traits dropped by up to 21%.

On the other hand, those with tendencies linked with neuroticism (loneliness, anxiety, feeling fed-up, and mood swings) were associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality.

This study shows how personality can influence behavior. Perhaps these traits help people adopt and adhere to positive routines that contribute to maintain their good health, promoting longevity. (1)

Organized and Active Personalities Linked to Longer Life

This study published on September 28, 2025 suggests that certain specific personality traits can contribute to a longer life.

It useed information provided by over 22,000 participants in several large studies (the Health and Retirement Study, the Midlife in the United States Study, the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, and the National Health and Aging Trends Study) to monitor personality traits and analyzed the mortality of the participants over a period that ranged from 6 to 28 years.

People with "higher neuroticism domain and item scores were related to a higher mortality risk, whereas higher extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness domain and item scores were associated with a lower mortality risk.."

The strongest link with a lower death risk was the "extraversion item 'active'," with a 21% lower mortality risk.

Other traits that lowered mortality between 13 and 9% were: "lively" (extraversion), "organized", "responsible", "hardworking", "thorough" (conscientiousness), and "helpful".

Other studies have shown that negative traits such as cynicism, pessimism, anxiety and depression are linked with a higher mortality risk. This study shows that positive traits have the opposite (life-lengthening) effect.

It is likely that people who are thorough, active, and responsible tend to stick to a healthy lifestyle, and therefore their behavior promotes a better overall health which impacts on lifespan. It may also imply that these people are more resilient and have more active social lives when compared to people who are on the opposite end of the scale, people who are anxious, depressed, moody, and easily upset, who have a higher mortality risk.

So, a longer life depends upon many factors, including personality traits.

References and Further Reading

(1) Yannick Stephan, Angelina R. Sutin, René Mõttus, Martina Luchetti, Páraic O'Súilleabháin, Antonio Terracciano. (2025). Personality nuances and mortality risk: A coordinated analysis of four longitudinal samples. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, Volume 196, 112347, ISSN 0022-3999, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112347.