Previous research shows that certain personality traits lead to higher mortality rates, but does not explain the exact connection between one and the other. This is what Professor Daniel K. Mroczek tried to determine with his most recent study, and the conclusion he came to was that higher levels of neuroticism led to higher mortality rates because these persons were more likely to engage in addictive behaviors, as Science Daily can inform.

People who stress a lot or who worry excessively are also more prone to picking up a habit that will eventually damage their overall health, this addiction being their way of coping with the situation, the publication says of the findings of the study. Smoking, drinking or doing drugs are the most common means of relieving stress and tension with this kind of people, and they eventually end by shortening their life expectation.

“Chronic worrying, anxiety and being prone to depression are key aspects of the personality trait of neuroticism. In this study, the researchers looked at how smoking and heavy drinking are associated with the trait. A person with high neuroticism is likely to experience anxiety or depression and may self-medicate with tobacco, alcohol or drugs as a coping mechanism.” Science Daily says of the findings of the 30-year-long study.

Supported by The National Institute on Aging and the US Department of Veterans Affairs, the study included 1,788 men, whose smoking behavior and personality traits were analyzed between 1975 and 2005. At the end of the period, researchers could pinpoint exactly that it was people with high levels of neuroticism who most often picked up unhealthy addictions that increased the mortality rate, thus finding the missing link of previous studies of this type.

The study will be extremely helpful in the elaboration of future intervention and prevention campaigns, Prof. Mroczek believes. “For example, programs that target people high in neuroticism may get bigger bang for the buck than more widespread outreach efforts. It also may be possible to use personality traits to identify people who, because of their predispositions, are at risk for engaging in poor health behaviors such as smoking or excessive drinking.” Mroczek adds for Science Daily.