[LUM#9] Exercising to preserve your personality
Physical activity not only shapes your figure, it also shapes your personality. A study conducted by researchers at the Euromov demonstrates that a lack of physical activity is associated with an unfavorable evolution of certain personality traits.
What factors are associated with changes in our personality over the course of our lives? To better understand how we evolve, health psychology researcher Yannick Stephan and his colleagues at the University of Florida studied data from three American cohorts (Physical activity and personality development over twenty years: evidence from three longitudinal samples). The researchers assessed the personalities of nearly 10,000 volunteers who were followed for 20 years. Participants also regularly reported on their lifestyle habits, including their level of physical activity.
"By studying this data, we realized that those who reported very low levels of physical activity saw their personality traits change over time," explains Yannick Stephan. More specifically, inactivity is associated with a decline in conscientiousness.
According to the five-factor model of personality (see box), conscientiousness reflects a tendency to be organized, self-disciplined, and to always think before acting. Those with low levels of conscientiousness tend to be impulsive, lazy, and disorganized.
Conscientiousness
"Conscientiousness is the personality trait most closely linked to health, " explains the psychologist.It is estimated that a low level of conscientiousness is associated with a 40% increase in the risk of mortality from all causes." This link can naturally be explained by behavior and lifestyle habits: "Being conscientious leads to fewer risky behaviors—smoking, drinking, a sedentary lifestyle, poor diet—which limits the risk of associated diseases and preserves better health." Through these same mechanisms, this personality trait is also linked to the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
In this case, can we consider ways to improve conscientiousness in order to preserve our health? "That is precisely one of the findings of this study: those who had a very low level of physical activity, i.e., less than one to two sessions of physical activity per month, showed a decline in conscientiousness. We can therefore assume that adopting a regular physical activity routine would help maintain a high level of conscientiousness and thus also better health."
Correcting "pathogenic" personality traits
It has long been known that physical activity is beneficial to health, but this study shows that this benefit also manifests itself in personality changes. Researchers have also noted that physical inactivity is associated with lower levels of extraversion, openness to experience, and agreeableness. " Sedentary people tend to isolate themselves, which limits social interactions and affects these personality traits," explains Yannick Stephan.
Exercising to improve your body and mind? "It's entirely possible to imagine intervention programs focused on introducing sports activities to mitigate personality traits considered 'pathogenic' and reinforce those that are protective," suggests the researcher. This is yet another argument for getting everyone moving, even though existing incentive programs are struggling to make an impact. "It is estimated that a quarter of the world's population is completely inactive, a figure that has not changed since 2001," notes Yannick Stephan. Get moving, you'll be more conscientious, and you'll live better.
The big five
Psychology researchers have defined five core traits used to describe and study personality. This model, known as the Big Five, is based on the following traits:
- Emotional instability: tendency to be anxious, angry, or depressed. Conversely, low emotional instability refers to people who are generally calm and experience fewer negative feelings.
- Conscientiousness: tendency to be organized, self-disciplined, and to always think before acting. Conversely, a person with a low level of conscientiousness will be impulsive, lazy, and disorganized.
- Extraversion: a tendency to be very sociable and enthusiastic, to seek out new experiences. Conversely, a low level of extraversion characterizes people who are more reserved and less dependent on interaction with others.
- Openness to experiences: tendency to demonstrate intellectual curiosity, imagination, and creativity. Conversely, a person who is not very open to experiences tends to have limited interests and may be resistant to change.
- Agreeableness: tendency toward empathy and altruism. Conversely, those with low agreeableness show little concern for the well-being of others.
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