HQ team
November 20, 2024: Your inclination to get up from the couch to go for a run or remain slouched there is indicative of your personality, according to recent research conducted at the University of Jyväskylä’s Gerontology Research Centre.
The study revealed significant associations between personality traits and patterns of physical activity and sedentary behavior. This research underscores how individual differences in personality can shape health behaviors, impacting long-term well-being.
Study overview
The study tracked the personality traits of participants over several decades, assessing them at ages 33, 42, 50, and 61. Based on the observations the researchers identified five distinct personality profiles: resilient, brittle, overcontrolled, undercontrolled, and ordinary. Each profile represents unique combinations of traits such as neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness, openness, and agreeableness.
According to research director Katja Kokko, individuals with a resilient profile, marked by high levels of conscientiousness and extraversion, tend to accumulate longer periods of both physical activity and sedentary behavior. In contrast, those with a brittle profile often feel uneasy staying sedentary for extended periods and prefer lighter activities.
Previous research based on the same data found that personality profiles were linked to self-assessed health.
“Individuals who belonged to the resilient profile had the highest level of self-assessed health whereas those with a brittle profile had the lowest level of self-assessed health,” noted Kokko.
Implications for health
The findings suggest that understanding these personality patterns can aid in designing personalized health interventions. For instance:
- Individuals identified as resilient may be more inclined to participate in structured sports activities.
- Those with brittle personalities might benefit from strategies that encourage frequent breaks from sedentary behavior.
Interestingly, while the study found no statistically significant differences in the overall amounts of physical activity or sedentary behavior among the profiles, it highlighted the importance of the ratio between these two behaviors. Previous research indicates that when moderate-to-vigorous physical activity exceeds one-tenth of the time spent sedentary, the risk of mortality decreases significantly for individuals over 50.
This groundbreaking research contributes to a growing body of evidence linking personality traits to health behaviors. By recognizing how traits influence activity levels and sedentary patterns, healthcare providers can develop more effective interventions tailored to individual needs. As Johanna Ahola, a doctoral researcher involved in the study, notes that though not much difference in the physical and sedentary behaviour of the different personality traits was found, “the results remain interesting. In light of the existing knowledge, the ratios of individuals with resilient and ordinary profiles were particularly favorable in our study.”
The research is published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.
