6 Personality Traits Linked To A Longer Life

There isn’t an exact formula for a longer life yet, though researchers think they have some pretty good guesses.

Great genes, enough sleep, and a decent diet can go a long way if you want to reach 100, for instance.

But some factors are less strictly physical.

For instance, one paper found that people who had a positive view of ageing may be less likely to experience age-related decline.

And having a sense of purpose “appears to widely buffer against mortality risk across the adult years,” a 2015 paper found.

Yet another paper, this time looking at data from 22,000 participants, found that “Personality nuances were associated with mortality risk in four samples”.

This self-descriptor was most linked to a longer life in the 2025 paper (27% lower mortality risk).

Study author, psychologist Professor René Mõttus, told The Guardian: “The word ‘active’ was the most striking.

“Participants who described themselves this way were significantly less likely to die during the study period – with a 21% lower risk, even when age, gender and medical conditions were taken into account.”

The trait, tied in this study to outgoingness, seemed te be another helpful self-description (12% lower risk) for those hoping to live long.

“The extraversion items active and lively were related to a lower mortality risk,” the paper reads.

Separate 2017 research linked higher levels of extraversion to a 14% reduction in mortality.

The study also found that higher levels of conscientiousness, including describing yourself as organised, were linked to a longer life (14% lower mortality risk).

“Being ‘organised’ might help people stick to routines that improve health, but it may also reflect underlying psychological resilience or social habits that contribute to a longer life,” study author Professor Páraic O’Súilleabháin told The Guardian.

It’s not the only paper to link greater conscientiousness to a longer life, either.

Linked to a 12% lower risk of death in this paper, the term also falls in the “conscientiousness” bracket.

Those who saw themselves as industrious had a 15% lower risk of mortality, as did those who self-described as “thorough”.

One 2016 paper found that those who worked even a year later than retirement age saw an up-to-11% lower risk of death in an 18-year follow-up period.

This personality trait, which fell into the broader category of “agreeableness”, has also been linked to a longer lifespan.

Another paper found that people who volunteered more often lived longer.