A study conducted at the Gerontology Research Centre and the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä has revealed links between personality traits and behaviors related to physical activity and sedentary lifestyles. Those exhibiting high levels of conscientiousness and extraversion are inclined to engage in both extended physical activity and longer periods of being sedentary. In contrast, individuals with higher neuroticism levels tend to take more frequent breaks from sitting.
This research tracked the personality traits of the same subjects at ages 33, 42, 50, and 61, creating personality profiles that captured distinct combinations of traits such as neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness, openness, and agreeableness.
“We identified five profiles of personality traits: resilient, brittle, overcontrolled, undercontrolled, and ordinary,” explains research director Katja Kokko.
Earlier studies using the same dataset have shown connections between these personality profiles and self-reported health.
“Those in the resilient group reported the highest levels of self-assessed health, while individuals in the brittle group reported the lowest,” Kokko adds.
The current study is unique in that it combines personality trait profiles with objective measures of daily physical activity and sedentary behavior collected when the participants were 61 years old. The analysis revealed differences in how much time these profiles spent on physical activity versus sedentary behavior.
People with a resilient profile had longer durations of both physical activity and sedentary periods, whereas those with a brittle profile interrupted their sedentary time more often.
“These findings suggest that individuals categorized as resilient, marked by high conscientiousness and extraversion, are more likely to participate in organized sports,” says doctoral researcher Johanna Ahola. “Conversely, those with a brittle profile, characterized by higher neuroticism, tend to feel restless when sedentary for too long, opting for lighter activities instead.”
“Although neuroticism has typically been linked to greater levels of sedentary behavior, our study showed that those in the brittle group frequently interrupted their sitting time, which is beneficial for their health.”
The research also assessed how personality profiles relate to the balance of physical activity compared to sedentary behavior. Previous studies suggest this balance is crucial for understanding mortality risks in individuals over 50. Specifically, when moderate-to-vigorous physical activity made up more than 10% of sedentary time, the risk of death over a decade decreased significantly.
“While our study did not find statistically significant differences in the amounts of physical activity or sedentary behavior among the personality profiles, the overall results are still intriguing,” remarks Ahola. “Particularly, the ratios for individuals with resilient and ordinary profiles appeared favorable.”
This research article is part of the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development, which has been following the same subjects for over 50 years. The study was initially conducted from 1968 to 2012 under Professor Lea Pulkkinen’s direction and has been led by Research Director Katja Kokko since 2013. The publication is part of the PATHWAY project, which receives funding from the Ministry of Education and Culture, and the TRAILS project, funded by the Research Council of Finland. The Finnish Cultural Foundation also supported the writing of this research article.
