1. Health processes in personality
- Author
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Patrick L. Hill, Daniel K. Mroczek, Nicole M. Silva Belanger, Rebekah L. Damitz, and Nicholas A. Turiano
- Subjects
media_common.quotation_subject ,Longevity ,Personality ,Big Five personality traits ,Psychology ,Empirical evidence ,Health outcomes ,humanities ,media_common ,Arousal ,Developmental psychology ,Variety (cybernetics) - Abstract
With personality traits emerging as robust predictors of a variety of health outcomes and longevity, this chapter summarizes the underlying processes that explain how certain personality characteristics result in poor health. Specifically, personality traits influence health outcomes through the behaviors one engages in, the physiological arousal to stress, and through engagement in social interactions. The chapter highlights both theoretical and empirical evidence supporting these mechanisms, and also discusses the methodological limitations of current research and future directions to remedy these issues. The chapter also presents the Personality and Health Processes (PHP) Model to guide future work linking personality to health and longevity. The chapter ends with a discussion of the translational potential of using personality to improve lifespan health outcomes.
- Published
- 2021
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