Neuroticism linked to higher risk of premature death… In particular, loneliness is most closely related to
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A study has shown a link between neurotic personality traits and the risk of premature death from a variety of causes. [사진=게티이미지뱅크]A study has shown a link between neurotic personality traits and the risk of premature death from a variety of causes. Neuroticism is a personality trait characterized by emotional instability or a tendency to easily feel negative emotions such as anxiety, fear, and loneliness. According to this study, among neurotic traits, loneliness was most closely associated with an increased risk of early death.
Research to date has linked neuroticism to a variety of emotional and physical health problems, from depression and anxiety to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. In this study, we sought to uncover the link between neuroticism and mortality in more detail by examining specific causes of death, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and external factors such as accidents and self-harm.
Professor Antonio Terracciano’s team, from the Department of Geriatrics at Florida State University School of Medicine, analyzed data from approximately 500,000 participants in the UK Biobank, a large-scale study targeting populations across the UK. Participants, who were 38 to 73 years old at the start of the study, were followed for an average of 13.4 years, during which time more than 43,000 died. Researchers linked this data with national death records to determine causes of death, including cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease, and intentional self-harm.
Neuroticism was measured using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), which is widely used in personality research, and scores were calculated and individual aspects of neuroticism such as loneliness, mood swings, and irritability were examined. The analysis was then conducted after controlling for other factors that may affect mortality, such as age, gender, education level, smoking habits, and underlying diseases.
The results showed that a high neuroticism score increased the risk of death from all causes by 10%. Looking at specific causes of death, high neuroticism scores were associated with a variety of mortality risks, including respiratory and digestive diseases, intentional self-harm, and cardiovascular diseases. However, the strength of the association differed depending on the cause of death. For example, neuroticism was more strongly associated with deaths from respiratory diseases and self-harm than with deaths from cancer.
In particular, loneliness appeared to be the strongest predictor of early death among neuroticism traits. People who were prone to feeling lonely had a 46% higher risk of death than people who were not prone to loneliness. This association was particularly pronounced among young men and those without a college education. The link between loneliness and mortality was independent of other aspects of neuroticism, suggesting that loneliness itself was a major risk factor for premature death.
“The tendency to feel sad, tense or lonely has been shown to increase the risk of premature death, particularly from deliberate self-harm and respiratory and digestive diseases,” said Professor Terracciano. “Although this study did not look at potential treatments, other studies have shown that According to , coping strategies and social connections can help manage these negative emotions.”
Meanwhile, it was pointed out that this study had some limitations, such as the fact that it targeted a specific population and did not consider changes in neuroticism over time.
The researchers emphasized that further research is needed into the specific pathways through which neuroticism affects mortality.
The results of this study were published in the Journal of Affective Disorders under the title ‘Neuroticism, loneliness, all-cause and cause-specific mortality: A 17-year study of nearly 500,000 individuals.’
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