For decades, we’ve been told the path to a long life is simple: eat well, move more, don’t smoke, and sleep enough. All true. But a new analysis suggests something more personal may also matter: the exact words you use to describe yourself.
What the New Longevity Study Actually Looked At
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A major new study, covered by UNILAD Tech, tracked more than 22,000 adults for up to 28 years. Instead of lumping people into the usual “Big Five” categories (extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness, neuroticism), the researchers did something different.
They zoomed in on the tiny self-descriptions people use on questionnaires – the single adjectives like active, helpful, or organised that most of us check off without much thought.
Surprisingly, these micro-labels were stronger predictors of who lived longer than the broad personality buckets. As co-author Professor Páraic O’Súilleabháin explained to UNILAD Tech:
Professor Páraic O’Súilleabháin, psychology professor at the University of Limerick and study co-author, quoted by UNILAD Tech said that the ‘significance of the study lies in its precision.’ He added:
“Our study suggests personality works not just as a general influence but as a set of specific behaviours and attitudes—and those individual characteristics have a measurable impact on longevity.”
He emphasized that the same traits can mean different things to different people, and it is these exact nuances that matter.
What the Data Actually Showed
When the researchers pooled results across four large cohorts, one word stood out above all: “active.” Participants who described themselves this way had about a 21% lower risk of death during the follow-up period (HR ≈ 0.79, 95% CI ~0.73–0.85), even after adjusting for age, gender, and medical conditions.
Other closely related descriptors also carried protective effects: organised, responsible, hard-working, thorough, helpful – and in some samples, adjectives like energetic or lively. Most hovered in the hazard-ratio range of ~0.87–0.91, meaning modest but consistent reductions in mortality risk.
Importantly, part of this association could be explained by mediators like smoking status, BMI, chronic illness, or depressive symptoms. But even after those were factored in, the signal didn’t vanish. (PubMed)
Why Would Simple Words Like “Active” or “Helpful” Matter?
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Think of these adjectives as shortcuts for everyday behavior. They aren’t abstract labels; they map onto daily choices that ripple into long-term health.
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Active isn’t just about gym memberships – it reflects a pace of life: walking instead of sitting, engaging socially, staying curious, trying new things.
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Organised reduces life’s friction: remembering appointments, sticking to routines, lowering the chaos that often feeds stress.
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Helpful pulls people into stronger social networks, creating reciprocity and community bonds that support both mental and physical health.
As The Guardian summed it up: “Being organised, active and helpful could not just make you a better person, it may even help you live longer.”
This interpretation also aligns with decades of research in health psychology. Broad traits like conscientiousness and low neuroticism have long been tied to longevity, but this new study suggests it’s the specific ways those traits show up in daily life – being thorough, responsible, or helpful – that may matter more than the umbrella categories.
How Researchers Actually Measured It
Here’s where this study breaks new ground. Instead of only scoring participants on the “Big Five” personality domains, the team zoomed in on single adjectives – the individual words people used to describe themselves on standard personality questionnaires.
The specificity is truly interesting!
Over 22,000 adults across four large cohorts were tracked for between 6 and 28 years. By linking self-descriptions to survival data, the researchers found that these specific descriptors often predicted mortality more accurately than the broader trait domains.
For example, “active” outperformed its parent category of extraversion. Similarly, “organised” told researchers more about health outcomes than simply being labelled conscientious. That level of precision is what makes this analysis so powerful: it shows how the words you casually use about yourself can quietly forecast long-term health outcomes.
So Which Traits Are Most Relevant?
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When the findings were pulled together, the same cluster of adjectives kept appearing across studies and media coverage:
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Active – the strongest signal, with about a 21% lower mortality risk over time.
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Organised, Responsible, Hard-working, Thorough – nuances of conscientiousness that consistently predicted better survival.
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Helpful – tied to social engagement and reciprocity, both key factors in resilience and longevity.
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Lively/Energetic – often mentioned alongside “active” as another protective marker.
On the flip side, traits like anxious, moody, or easily upset were linked to higher mortality risk, echoing what’s long been known about chronic stress and health.
How to Cultivate These Personality Traits in Daily Life
The good news? Personality isn’t set in stone. Even small tweaks in habits and routines can help you lean into the qualities most strongly linked to longevity.
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Active: You don’t need a marathon medal to be “active.” Try a 10-minute walk after meals, take phone calls on your feet, or join a beginner’s dance or yoga class. Studies show even light daily movement lowers risk for chronic disease (CDC – Benefits of Physical Activity).
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Organised: Organisation supports health by removing friction. Use a reminders app for annual check-ups, batch meal prep once a week, and keep walking shoes by the door. Research shows habit trackers and cues can nudge healthier behaviors.
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Helpful: Acts of kindness aren’t just good for others – they benefit you too. Volunteering, offering support, or simply checking in on friends strengthens social ties, which are well-established predictors of longer life.
These steps aren’t about reinventing yourself – they’re about nudging your daily patterns toward traits that quietly support long-term health.
Does this replace diet and exercise?
No. The authors explicitly note that clinical and behavioural factors (smoking, BMI, illness burden, physical inactivity) account for some of the link – meaning traits often work through lifestyle, not instead of it.
Personality looks like a supporting actor that makes healthy habits easier to sustain for decades. The big lifestyle picture still matters; see, for example, JAMA Network Open showing that simple behaviors (not smoking, activity, dietary diversity) scale the odds of becoming a centenarian in a dose-response way. (MIDUS – Midlife in the United States)
I recently presented you on this site some studies with different recommendations of EASY things to do to live happily and long:
- Scientists Reveal the Unexpected Longevity Habit That Costs Nothing
- Scientists Say This Overlooked Habit Could Add Years to Your Life
- Scientists Say People With This Mindset Are Far More Likely to Reach Age 90+
- Add Decades, Not Just Years: 8 Habits That Could Add 20–25 Years to Your Life (Backed by a Massive Study)
- Build a Night Routine That Boosts Longevity – What Studies Show
- Want a Longer, Happier Life? Scientists Say This 1-Hour Habit Could Be the Key
- Want to Live Longer? Studies Say These Mental Habits May Help (No Sweat Required)
- Eat Earlier, Live Longer? What a New Study Says About Breakfast Timing, Aging, and Longevity
How to apply this without “changing your personality”
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You don’t need a new identity; you need less friction around the traits that matter.
Tell a practical story with your day: put the mammogram or colonoscopy on the calendar first, keep walking shoes visible, turn phone calls into short walks, and make “helpful” tiny and daily – reply to the check-in text, carpool a neighbor, share a skill.
These are the quiet ways “active, organised, helpful” become real behaviours, which is likely why they show up in survival data.
How strong is the evidence?
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Design: multi-cohort (4 samples), long follow-up (6–28 years), >22k adults.
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Key result: item “active” HR ~0.79; several conscientiousness/agreeableness items HR ~0.87–0.91.
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Attenuation: effects shrink when adding mediators (as expected), but some survive adjustment.
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Reproducibility: signals replicate across samples; multiple outlets report the same cluster.
Cautions & disclaimers
First of all, this is an informational article – NOT medical advice.
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Correlation ≠ causation. We cannot claim that adopting “organised” adds X years. The study is observational.
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Reverse causality happens. Early illness can make people feel less active/helpful; the team did sensitivity checks but can’t eliminate it entirely.
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Self-report bias. Adjectives reflect mood and context, not only stable traits.
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Generalizability. Most data are from Western cohorts; effects may vary by culture.
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Personality is stable-ish. Large shifts are rare; think gradual habit scaffolding, not instant reinvention.
The Traits That May Shorten Life
A study revealed a darker side. Just as certain self-descriptions were linked to a lower risk of death, others predicted the opposite.
People who described themselves as anxious, moody, easily upset, or frequently stressed faced a higher risk of early mortality. These traits overlap with the psychological domain of neuroticism, which has long been associated with poorer health outcomes (PubMed).
The likely explanation? Chronic stress responses increase inflammation, raise blood pressure, and make it harder to stick with healthy routines. Over decades, that toll can accumulate.
This doesn’t mean worriers are “doomed”, but it does suggest that stress-management techniques like mindfulness, CBT, or structured social support can buffer the risks.
FAQs About Personality and Longevity
Can personality really help you live longer?
Yes – this study and others suggest certain self-descriptions predict mortality risk, even after controlling for health and lifestyle. The effect isn’t destiny, but it’s measurable.
Which personality traits predict a long life?
The most consistent were being active, organised, responsible, hard-working, thorough, helpful, and lively/energetic.
Which traits may shorten lifespan?
High levels of anxiety, irritability, moodiness, and chronic stress were linked to earlier death.
Does personality matter more than diet or exercise?
No – think of personality as a supporting actor. Traits like organisation or helpfulness make it easier to stick with healthy habits, not replace them.
Can personality change in adulthood?
Broad personality traits are relatively stable, but small adjustments in daily habits can help people lean into more active, organised, and supportive behaviors over time