If you cry during movies, interpret ordinary situations as threatening, or fear rejection, you are at greater risk of premature death.
These behaviors are among those associated with neuroticism, and a new study has found that the personality trait increases the risk of premature death by 10 percent.
Neuroticism is associated with negative emotions such as fear, sadness and irritability, but consists of several components such as loneliness, anxiety and irritability that wreak havoc on the body and mind.
Scientists identified loneliness as the strongest predictor of premature death, because the feeling can lead to intentional self-harm and diseases of the respiratory and digestive systems, the researchers claimed.
Other aspects of neuroticism, such as mood swings and feeling fed up, were also associated with a higher mortality risk.
Overall, the team found that the association was strongest among men, and especially significant among people under the age of 54 and those without a college degree.
A team of researchers led by Florida State University analyzed data from the UK Biobank, a massive database containing biological samples and genetic, lifestyle and health information from half a million people.
Nearly 500,000 individuals whose information was stored in the Biobank completed an assessment of neuroticism between 2006 and 2010.
Although neuroticism is associated with anxiety and depression, loneliness emerged as the strongest predictor of premature death
For seventeen years, scientists tracked whether these individuals lived or died.
The research team used this ‘vital status’ data along with participants’ neuroticism scores to investigate whether the personality trait – and certain components thereof – were more strongly linked to premature death than others.
During that 17-year period, 43,400 of the approximately 500,000 participants died – about 8.8 percent of the total sample size.
Data showed that the average age at death was 70 years, with cancer being the leading cause, followed by diseases of the nervous, respiratory and digestive systems.
Those who died from respiratory or digestive problems largely reported feeling “fed up” during the evaluation.
Just under 0.7 percent, approximately 291 people, were reported as deliberate self-harm.
These individuals said they suffered from feelings of guilt and mood swings, and felt constantly stressed throughout their lives.
However, the people who scored higher on neuroticism all reported feeling lonely.
The link between loneliness and premature death may also be explained by an increase in feelings of isolation as a person approaches death.
However, this was contradicted by the fact that the association was similar when deaths within the first five to 10 years of follow-up were excluded, the researchers said.
“It was surprising that loneliness had a much stronger impact than other components of neuroticism,” said Antonio Terracciano, senior author and professor of geriatrics at Florida State University. PsyPost.
“The findings indicate that those who reported being lonely were at much greater risk of dying than those who felt anxious or guilty,” he added.
Terracciano and his colleagues published their findings in the Journal of Affective Disorders in September.
The study offers new insight into how loneliness affects health and longevity as experts warn the US is facing a loneliness epidemic.
A 2023 report from the Surgeon General found that even before the COVID-19 pandemic, about half of American adults reported experiencing measurable levels of loneliness.
It warned that the physical consequences of social isolation can be devastating, including a 29 percent increased risk of heart disease, a 32 percent increased risk of stroke and a 50 percent increased risk of developing dementia for older adults.
Loneliness can even increase the risk of premature death to levels comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, the report said.
Furthermore, previous research has shown that neuroticism is a strong predictor of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, as well as other conditions such as stroke, irritable bowel disease (IBD), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
This latest study aimed to build on previous research and provides new evidence supporting the fact that neuroticism and loneliness take a significant toll on human health.