Personality Factors in the Long Life Family Study

Overview

Journal J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci

Specialties Geriatrics
Psychology
Social Sciences

Date 2013 Jan 1

PMID 23275497

Citations 11

Authors

Stacy L Andersen

Jenny X Sun

Paola Sebastiani

Jaimie Huntly

Jesse D Gass

Lori Feldman

Harold Bae

Lene Christiansen

Thomas T Perls

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate personality profiles of Long Life Family Study participants relative to population norms and offspring of centenarians from the New England Centenarian Study. METHOD Personality domains of agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, and openness were assessed with the NEO Five-Factor Inventory in 4,937 participants from the Long Life Family Study (mean age 70 years). A linear mixed model of age and gender was implemented adjusting for other covariates.

Results: A significant age trend was found in all five personality domains. On average, the offspring generation of long-lived families scored low in neuroticism, high in extraversion, and within average values for the other three domains. Older participants tended to score higher in neuroticism and lower in the other domains compared with younger participants, but the estimated scores generally remained within average population values. No significant differences were found between long-lived family members and their spouses.

Discussion: Personality factors and more specifically low neuroticism and high extraversion may be important for achieving extreme old age. In addition, personality scores of family members were not significantly different from those of their spouses, suggesting that environmental factors may play a significant role in addition to genetic factors.

Citing Articles

Developmental origins of exceptional health and survival: A four-generation family cohort study.

Keys M, Pedersen D, Larsen P, Kulminski A, Feitosa M, Wojczynski M medRxiv. 2024; .

PMID: 39108533 PMC: 11302717. DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.04.24306872.

Mechanisms underlying familial aggregation of exceptional health and survival: A three-generation cohort study.

Christensen K, Wojczynski M, Pedersen J, Larsen L, Klojgaard S, Skytthe A Aging Cell. 2020; 19(10):e13228.

PMID: 32886847 PMC: 7576291. DOI: 10.1111/acel.13228.

Purpose in Life Among Centenarian Offspring.

Marone S, Bloore K, Sebastiani P, Flynn C, Leonard B, Whitaker K J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2018; 75(2):308-315.

PMID: 29522128 PMC: 7179803. DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gby023.

Characteristics and Incidence of Chronic Illness in Community-Dwelling Predominantly Male U.S. Veteran Centenarians.

Kheirbek R, Fokar A, Shara N, Bell-Wilson L, Moore H, Olsen E J Am Geriatr Soc. 2017; 65(9):2100-2106.

PMID: 28422270 PMC: 5724032. DOI: 10.1111/jgs.14900.

The Survival of Spouses Marrying Into Longevity-Enriched Families.

Pedersen J, Elo I, Schupf N, Perls T, Stallard E, Yashin A J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2016; 72(1):109-114.

PMID: 27540092 PMC: 5155661. DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glw159.

References

Ready R, Akerstedt A, Mroczek D . Emotional complexity and emotional well-being in older adults: risks of high neuroticism. Aging Ment Health. 2011; 16(1):17-26. PMC: 3242833. DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2011.602961. View

Duberstein P, Chapman B, Tindle H, Sink K, Bamonti P, Robbins J . Personality and risk for Alzheimer's disease in adults 72 years of age and older: a 6-year follow-up. Psychol Aging. 2010; 26(2):351-62. PMC: 3115437. DOI: 10.1037/a0021377. View

Bogg T, Roberts B . Conscientiousness and health-related behaviors: a meta-analysis of the leading behavioral contributors to mortality. Psychol Bull. 2004; 130(6):887-919. DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.130.6.887. View

Weiss A, Costa Jr P . Domain and facet personality predictors of all-cause mortality among Medicare patients aged 65 to 100. Psychosom Med. 2005; 67(5):724-33. DOI: 10.1097/01.psy.0000181272.58103.18. View

Kern M, Friedman H . Do conscientious individuals live longer? A quantitative review. Health Psychol. 2008; 27(5):505-12. DOI: 10.1037/0278-6133.27.5.505. View

Sebastiani P, Hadley E, Province M, Christensen K, Rossi W, Perls T . A family longevity selection score: ranking sibships by their longevity, size, and availability for study. Am J Epidemiol. 2009; 170(12):1555-62. PMC: 2800272. DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwp309. View

Jerant A, Chapman B, Duberstein P, Robbins J, Franks P . Personality and medication non-adherence among older adults enrolled in a six-year trial. Br J Health Psychol. 2011; 16(Pt 1):151-69. PMC: 3126620. DOI: 10.1348/135910710X524219. View

Graham E, Lachman M . Personality stability is associated with better cognitive performance in adulthood: are the stable more able?. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2012; 67(5):545-54. PMC: 3441188. DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbr149. View

Newman A, Glynn N, Taylor C, Sebastiani P, Perls T, Mayeux R . Health and function of participants in the Long Life Family Study: A comparison with other cohorts. Aging (Albany NY). 2011; 3(1):63-76. PMC: 3047140. DOI: 10.18632/aging.100242. View

10.

Terracciano A, Costa Jr P, McCrae R . Personality plasticity after age 30. Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2006; 32(8):999-1009. PMC: 2680603. DOI: 10.1177/0146167206288599. View

11.

Roberts B, Walton K, Viechtbauer W . Personality traits change in adulthood: reply to Costa and McCrae (2006). Psychol Bull. 2006; 132(1):29-32. DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.132.1.29. View

12.

Soto C, John O . Development of big five domains and facets in adulthood: mean-level age trends and broadly versus narrowly acting mechanisms. J Pers. 2011; 80(4):881-914. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2011.00752.x. View

13.

Pedersen C, Gotzsche H, Moller J, Mortensen P . The Danish Civil Registration System. A cohort of eight million persons. Dan Med Bull. 2006; 53(4):441-9. View

14.

Terracciano A, McCrae R, Brant L, Costa Jr P . Hierarchical linear modeling analyses of the NEO-PI-R scales in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Psychol Aging. 2005; 20(3):493-506. PMC: 2808690. DOI: 10.1037/0882-7974.20.3.493. View

15.

Wilson R, Mendes de Leon C, Bienias J, Evans D, Bennett D . Personality and mortality in old age. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2004; 59(3):P110-6. DOI: 10.1093/geronb/59.3.p110. View

16.

Turiano N, Pitzer L, Armour C, Karlamangla A, Ryff C, Mroczek D . Personality trait level and change as predictors of health outcomes: findings from a national study of Americans (MIDUS). J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2011; 67(1):4-12. PMC: 3410684. DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbr072. View

17.

Friedman H, Kern M, Reynolds C . Personality and health, subjective well-being, and longevity. J Pers. 2010; 78(1):179-216. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2009.00613.x. View

18.

Martin P, da Rosa G, Siegler I, Davey A, MacDonald M, Poon L . Personality and longevity: findings from the Georgia Centenarian Study. Age (Dordr). 2012; 28(4):343-52. PMC: 3259159. DOI: 10.1007/s11357-006-9022-8. View

19.

Rammstedt B, Goldberg L, Borg I . The measurement equivalence of Big Five factor markers for persons with different levels of education. J Res Pers. 2010; 44(4):53-61. PMC: 2854544. DOI: 10.1016/j.jrp.2009.10.005. View

20.

Wilson R, Krueger K, Gu L, Bienias J, Mendes de Leon C, Evans D . Neuroticism, extraversion, and mortality in a defined population of older persons. Psychosom Med. 2005; 67(6):841-5. DOI: 10.1097/01.psy.0000190615.20656.83. View