PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS AFFECTING HEALTH

Health Beliefs; Health Locus of Control (will discuss this point in class)

Personality type & Health (The Big Five Traits and Health & Illness);

Many contemporary personality psychologists believe that there are five basic dimensions
of personality, often referred to as the "Big 5" personality traits. The Big 5 personality traits
are extraversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism.

Openness

Openness (also referred to as openness to experience) emphasizes imagination and insight

the most out of all five personality traits. People who are high in openness tend to have a
broad range of interests. They are curious about the world and other people and are eager
to learn new things and enjoy new experiences.

People who are high in this personality trait also tend to be more adventurous and creative.
Conversely, people low in this personality trait are often much more traditional and may
struggle with abstract thinking.
High
 Very creative
 Open to trying new things
 Focused on tackling new challenges
 Happy to think about abstract concepts

Low
 Dislikes change
 Does not enjoy new things
 Resists new ideas
 Not very imaginative
 Dislikes abstract or theoretical concepts
Conscientiousness
Among each of the personality traits, conscientiousness is one defined by high levels of
thoughtfulness, good impulse control, and goal-directed behaviors. Highly conscientious
people tend to be organized and mindful of details. They plan ahead, think about how their
behavior affects others, and are mindful of deadlines.

Someone scoring lower in this primary personality trait is less structured and less organized.
They may procrastinate to get things done, sometimes missing deadlines completely.
High
 Spends time preparing
 Finishes important tasks right away
 Pays attention to detail
 Enjoys having a set schedule
Low
 Dislikes structure and schedules
 Makes messes and doesn't take care of things
 Fails to return things or put them back where they belong
 Procrastinates important tasks
 Fails to complete necessary or assigned tasks
Extraversion
Extraversion (or extroversion) is a personality trait characterized by excitability, sociability,
talkativeness, assertiveness, and high amounts of emotional expressiveness.1 People high in
extraversion are outgoing and tend to gain energy in social situations. Being around others
helps them feel energized and excited.

People who are low in this personality trait or introverted tend to be more reserved. They
have less energy to expend in social settings and social events can feel draining. Introverts
often require a period of solitude and quiet in order to "recharge."

High
 Enjoys being the center of attention
 Likes to start conversations
 Enjoys meeting new people
 Has a wide social circle of friends and acquaintances
 Finds it easy to make new friends
 Feels energized when around other people
 Say things before thinking about them
Low
 Prefers solitude
 Feels exhausted when having to socialize a lot
 Finds it difficult to start conversations
 Dislikes making small talk
 Carefully thinks things through before speaking
 Dislikes being the center of attention
Agreeableness
This personality trait includes attributes such as trust, altruism, kindness, affection, and
other prosocial behaviors.1 People who are high in agreeableness tend to be more
cooperative while those low in this personality trait tend to be more competitive and
sometimes even manipulative.
High
 Has a great deal of interest in other people
 Cares about others
 Feels empathyand concern for other people
 Enjoys helping and contributing to the happiness of other people
 Assists others who are in need of help
Low
 Takes little interest in others
 Doesn't care about how other people feel
 Has little interest in other people's problems
 Insults and belittles others
 Manipulates others to get what they want
Neuroticism
Neuroticism is a personality trait characterized by sadness, moodiness, and emotional
instability.1Individuals who are high in neuroticism tend to experience mood swings, anxiety,
irritability, and sadness. Those low in this personality trait tend to be more stable and
emotionally resilient.
High
 Experiences a lot of stress
 Worries about many different things
 Gets upset easily
 Experiences dramatic shifts in mood
 Feels anxious
 Struggles to bounce back after stressful events
Low
 Emotionally stable
 Deals well with stress
 Rarely feels sad or depressed
 Doesn't worry much
 Is very relaxed

HEALTH AND BIG FIVE

Being conscientious appears to be the best bet for good health among traits known as the
“Big Five,” which are the basis for most psychological personality assessments. Along with
conscientiousness, the Big Five include extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism and
openness to experience. Participants who were more conscientious when they were 26
years old were more likely to be in much better health at age 38 than those who were low in
that personality trait, the study found.
“Among the least conscientious, 45 percent went on to develop multiple health
problems by age 38, while just 18 percent of the most conscientious group
developed health problems,” Israel said. “Individuals low in conscientiousness were
more often overweight, had high cholesterol, inflammation, hypertension and
greater rates of gum disease.”

Conscientious people are more likely to have active lifestyles, maintain healthy diets and
have more self-control, so are less likely to smoke or abuse alcohol and drugs, the study
noted. This could explain the apparent relationship between that trait and better health, the
researchers said.
 A surprising find was that being neurotic at age 26 was not linked to poorer physical health
at age 38, contrary to some theories that aspects of neuroticism such as stress and anxiety
can lead to ill health. This was the case even though the neurotic participants rated
themselves in poorer health at the later age, according to the study.

Researchers examined data from a Dunedin, New Zealand health and development study
involving 1,037 people born between April 1972 and March 1973. Slightly more than half
the subjects were male. The participants were assessed about every two years from birth
until they were 38 years old. At age 26, the participants nominated a person who knew
them well, such as a parent, spouse or friend, to describe them using the Big Five traits.
Researchers also gathered participants’ clinical health information and risk factors
commonly recorded in primary care offices, including income, education, smoking, obesity,
current and past illnesses and family medical history. At age 32, the participants’
personalities were again assessed on the Big Five scale, but this time in a clinical setting with
ratings by the clinic receptionist and nurse who were not aware of the study’s focus. This
brief clinical assessment yielded similar results to those done by people who knew the
participants well when they were 26 years old, according to the study. At age 38, the
participants had physical exams that checked for abnormalities of liver and kidney functions,
blood pressure, heart and lung fitness, vascular inflammation and periodontal disease.

Reference:
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2014/03/personality-health#:~:text=Being
%20conscientious%20appears%20to%20be,neuroticism%20and%20openness%20to
%20experience.