Work hard, do well and live more

California, United states, January 5: A new research conducted by the University of California suggests that psychological characteristics of an individual play an equally significant part in determining mortality, as the socio-economic, cultural and medico risk factors. Disciplined individuals tend to live up to four years longer than their undisciplined counterparts, reveal the findings of the study.

Meticulous and painstaking individuals, often considered as boring by their peers are actually the ones that live a long life. Having characteristics such as being diligent, regimented and motivated entails that they are happier which enables them to lead stable lives. Again, because such individuals are happy they are less likely to be lured by alcoholic drinks, drugs or any other form of risk-taking - all of which helps promises wellbeing.

Professor Howard Friedman, lead author of the study said, "Not only do conscientious individuals have better health habits and less risk-taking, but they also live in healthier environments, with stable jobs and solid relationships. Health behaviors - less drinking, smoking and risk-taking - and social integration factors, such as stable careers and relationships, seem to be highly relevant."

Prof Friedman’s team assessed three aspects of conscientiousness – self-discipline, organization and sincerity. They found that organization and sincerity were most directly associated to prolonged existence. The study also revealed that accountability did not play that big a role in determining longevity.

Margaret Kern, Friedman’s assistant opined that there were reasons to believe that individuals turn out to be more conscientious when they land in stable jobs or good marriages. She said, "We think our findings can challenge people to think about their lives and what may result from the actions they do. Even though conscientiousness cannot be changed in the short term, improvements can emerge over the long run as individuals enter responsible relationships, careers and associations."

The study was conducted on close to 8,900 participants and examined data from 20 studies on conscientiousness-related characteristics. It has been published in the journal Health Psychology.