Personality and mortality risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal data.

Abstract

Personality traits have long been deemed to be an important driver of longevity; however, a large volume of evidence remains divergent across traits, populations, and contexts. This preregistered systematic review and meta-analysis brings together longitudinal data (158 effect sizes) exploring five personality trait associations with mortality risk from 569,859 people, representing 5,997,667 person-years, 43,851 deaths, and four continents. Univariate and multivariate meta-analyses were conducted. Neuroticism predicted an increased risk of premature death, while extraversion and conscientiousness predicted reduced mortality risk. For neuroticism, age was a significant moderator, such that the effects were stronger for younger populations. Adjustment for health-related factors reduced the effects of neuroticism and conscientiousness on mortality risk. Extraversion had a significant protective effect only in pooled samples from North America and Australia. Significant effects for openness did not withstand small-study bias adjustment. No association was found for agreeableness. Multivariate analyses revealed that each of the significant effects for neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness persisted when adjusting for all traits. Several trait groupings were tested to compare how well they predicted mortality risk. The Five-Factor Model demonstrated the most parsimonious explanation. This review amalgamates extensive longitudinal work and highlights the critical role that personality plays in longevity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)