How Your Personality Type Affects Your Health

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsType AMore Laid BackPeople-PleasersWorrywartsDistressedIntrovertsWhat It All MeansA Word From Verywell

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Type A

More Laid Back

People-Pleasers

Worrywarts

Distressed

Introverts

What It All Means

A Word From Verywell

Could your personality type be harming you, or is your personality actually helping you live a longer life? Our personalities play such an important role in determining our behaviors and habits, so it is little wonder thatpersonality typehas a connection to your health. Everything from how often you visit the doctor to how you deal with stress is connected to your personality.

Philosophers, physicians, and researchers have long tried to find connections betweenpersonalityand physical health. During the time of the ancient Greeks, Hippocrates and Galen suggested that there were four humors (or personality types) and that each was connected to susceptibilities for certain physical or mental illnesses.

Interest in the topic persists to this day and researchhasfound thatpersonality traitscan be important health predictors. Researchers have found that the personality traits exhibited during childhood are linked to later health and are tied to other key health markers including overall longevity.

The classictype A personalityis often characterized as hard-driving, controlling, and perfectionistic. People who exhibit characteristics of this personality type tend to be more competitive, impatient, tense, assertive, and even aggressive.

Type A’s are often seen as hard-driving workaholics who will do anything to get ahead. They often feel a need to dominate, both at work and in personal interactions, and may derive their feelings of self-worth andself-conceptfrom their perceived achievements.

This personality type has been a subject of interest since it was first described in the 1950s and research has associated it with a number of negative health outcomes.

Some studies have shown a relationship between the Type A personality type and hypertension, increased job stress, and social isolation.

The initial research conducted more than 40 years ago suggested that Type A personalities were at a 7-fold increased risk of developing coronary artery disease. But more recent studies suggest that the real culprit behind the increased risk of heart disease is likely related to anger and hostility. So what can you do to reduce your health risks if you have a Type A personality?

Can a Relationship Between Two Type A Personalities Work?

People with a laid-back personality, often referred to as aType B personality, tend to be much more relaxed and easy-going than their Type A counterparts. In contrast to Type As, Type Bs are typically less stressed and less competitive.

People with the Type B personality type may also be more attracted to careers and hobbies that are more laid back and creativity centered, such as becoming an artist, writer, actor, or therapist. There are still health implications associated with the Type B personality. If you are Type B:

People with an “eager to please” personality type tend to be accommodating, passive, andconforming. This personality type can have its health upsides and downsides. On one hand, they’re eager to please nature means that they are more likely to follow their doctor’s orders.

Because of their passive nature, people pleasers may be more likely to feel hopeless or helpless in the face of a negative health event.

They may also be less likely to seek help when something is wrong, instead feeling that they don’t want to be a burden or inconvenience to others. When faced with a diagnosis, they may simply throw in the towel and assume that nothing they do will make much of a difference. So what can you do to protect your health if you tend to be a people-pleaser?

If you tend to have a neurotic personality, you may respond to feelings of loss, frustration, and other stresses with negative emotions. Experiencing intense emotional reactions to relatively minor life challenges is common. Researchers have found that this trait can be a predictor of a variety of physical and mental disorders, including overall life longevity.

One research review found that those who were higher in neuroticism and lower in otherBig Five personality traits(extraversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness), particularly those lower in conscientiousness, tended to be less healthy than their less-neurotic peers. Those who are high in neuroticism may also be more likely to experience physical health problems such as cardiovascular disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and asthma.

Neuroticism has been associated with generalized anxiety disorder, depression,panic disorder, antisocial personality disorder, and substance use.

Are there any strategies you can follow to help minimize the possible health risks of a neurotic personality?

So what are the possible health implications of having a Type D personality? One study suggested that people with Type D personalities are at a four-fold risk of death compared to those with other personality types.

According to another study published in the journalCirculation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, people with this personality type are at a three-fold increased risk of heart problems, including heart failure.

Approximately 20% of American adults have the Type D personality, with an estimated 50% of patients with heart problems exhibiting characteristics of this distressed personality type.

So what should you do to help mitigate the potential health risks of having a Type D personality?

One study found that people who tend to be moreextroverted, conscientious, and agreeable also tend to be healthier. This is due, in part, to the fact that people who exhibit higher levels of these traits also tend to be more likely to communicate more effectively with their doctors.

A 2009 study found that social support was linked to physical health outcomes including healthier behaviors, better coping skills, and observance to medical routines. Doctors and other health experts have long understood that quality social support and connections can have an important protective effect on both physical and mental health. So what can you do if you are not an extrovert?

Exploring the Enneagram of Personality

So why does personality have an impact on health? Why are certain traits so tied to certain ailments? The answers are not clear, but one potential explanation is that personality impacts behavior and lifestyle choices.

People who are more conscientious may be more likely to make healthier choices while those who are high in neuroticism may be less likely to seek medical help or have weaker social support systems.

Just because you tend to have a certain personality type does not doom you to a future of acquiring certain ailments.

As with many things, your individual risk of developing a health problem can depend upon a variety of factors beyond your personality, including genetics, environment, lifestyle, and behaviors.

Understanding your personality might be a great way to help determine what sort of health choices or changes you need to focus on making. By being aware of the potential hazards you may face, you can work with your health care professional to come up with a plan to minimize the dangers.

Research clearly shows a connection between personality and health. If you believe that your personality, mental state, or behaviors are causing illness or worsening your current symptoms, talk to your doctor for advice on possible treatments which may involvepsychotherapy, medication, or self-care.

Blood Type Personality

8 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Jokela M, Batty GD, Nyberg ST, et al.Personality and All-Cause Mortality: Individual-Participant Meta-Analysis of 3,947 Deaths in 76,150 Adults.Am J Epidemiol.2013;178(5):667-675. doi:10.1093/aje/kwt170Denollet J, Schiffer AA, Spek V.A General Propensity to Psychological Distress Affects Cardiovascular Outcomes: Evidence From Research on the Type D (Distressed) Personality Profile.Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2010;3(5):546-557. doi:10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.109.934406Petticrew MP, Lee K, Mckee M.Type A Behavior Pattern and Coronary Heart Disease: Philip Morris’s “Crown Jewel”.Am J Public Health. 2012;102(11):2018-2025. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2012.300816Lahey BB.Public health significance of neuroticism.Am Psychol.2009;64(4):241-256. doi:10.1037/a0015309Deary IJ, Weiss A, Batty GD.Intelligence and Personality as Predictors of Illness and Death: How Researchers in Differential Psychology and Chronic Disease Epidemiology Are Collaborating to Understand and Address Health Inequalities.Psychol Sci Public Interest.2010;11(2):53-79. doi:10.1177/1529100610387081Denollet J.Personality and coronary heart disease: the type-D scale-16 (DS16).Ann Behav Med.1998;20(3):209-215. doi:10.1007/BF02884962Weston SJ, Hill PL, Jackson JJ.Personality Traits Predict the Onset of Disease.SAGE Journals.2015;6(3):309-317. doi:10.1177/1948550614553248Uchino BN.Understanding the Links Between Social Support and Physical Health: A Life-Span Perspective With Emphasis on the Separability of Perceived and Received Support.Perspect Psychol Sci.2009;4(3):236-255. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6924.2009.01122.x

8 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Jokela M, Batty GD, Nyberg ST, et al.Personality and All-Cause Mortality: Individual-Participant Meta-Analysis of 3,947 Deaths in 76,150 Adults.Am J Epidemiol.2013;178(5):667-675. doi:10.1093/aje/kwt170Denollet J, Schiffer AA, Spek V.A General Propensity to Psychological Distress Affects Cardiovascular Outcomes: Evidence From Research on the Type D (Distressed) Personality Profile.Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2010;3(5):546-557. doi:10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.109.934406Petticrew MP, Lee K, Mckee M.Type A Behavior Pattern and Coronary Heart Disease: Philip Morris’s “Crown Jewel”.Am J Public Health. 2012;102(11):2018-2025. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2012.300816Lahey BB.Public health significance of neuroticism.Am Psychol.2009;64(4):241-256. doi:10.1037/a0015309Deary IJ, Weiss A, Batty GD.Intelligence and Personality as Predictors of Illness and Death: How Researchers in Differential Psychology and Chronic Disease Epidemiology Are Collaborating to Understand and Address Health Inequalities.Psychol Sci Public Interest.2010;11(2):53-79. doi:10.1177/1529100610387081Denollet J.Personality and coronary heart disease: the type-D scale-16 (DS16).Ann Behav Med.1998;20(3):209-215. doi:10.1007/BF02884962Weston SJ, Hill PL, Jackson JJ.Personality Traits Predict the Onset of Disease.SAGE Journals.2015;6(3):309-317. doi:10.1177/1948550614553248Uchino BN.Understanding the Links Between Social Support and Physical Health: A Life-Span Perspective With Emphasis on the Separability of Perceived and Received Support.Perspect Psychol Sci.2009;4(3):236-255. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6924.2009.01122.x

Jokela M, Batty GD, Nyberg ST, et al.Personality and All-Cause Mortality: Individual-Participant Meta-Analysis of 3,947 Deaths in 76,150 Adults.Am J Epidemiol.2013;178(5):667-675. doi:10.1093/aje/kwt170Denollet J, Schiffer AA, Spek V.A General Propensity to Psychological Distress Affects Cardiovascular Outcomes: Evidence From Research on the Type D (Distressed) Personality Profile.Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2010;3(5):546-557. doi:10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.109.934406Petticrew MP, Lee K, Mckee M.Type A Behavior Pattern and Coronary Heart Disease: Philip Morris’s “Crown Jewel”.Am J Public Health. 2012;102(11):2018-2025. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2012.300816Lahey BB.Public health significance of neuroticism.Am Psychol.2009;64(4):241-256. doi:10.1037/a0015309Deary IJ, Weiss A, Batty GD.Intelligence and Personality as Predictors of Illness and Death: How Researchers in Differential Psychology and Chronic Disease Epidemiology Are Collaborating to Understand and Address Health Inequalities.Psychol Sci Public Interest.2010;11(2):53-79. doi:10.1177/1529100610387081Denollet J.Personality and coronary heart disease: the type-D scale-16 (DS16).Ann Behav Med.1998;20(3):209-215. doi:10.1007/BF02884962Weston SJ, Hill PL, Jackson JJ.Personality Traits Predict the Onset of Disease.SAGE Journals.2015;6(3):309-317. doi:10.1177/1948550614553248Uchino BN.Understanding the Links Between Social Support and Physical Health: A Life-Span Perspective With Emphasis on the Separability of Perceived and Received Support.Perspect Psychol Sci.2009;4(3):236-255. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6924.2009.01122.x

Denollet J, Schiffer AA, Spek V.A General Propensity to Psychological Distress Affects Cardiovascular Outcomes: Evidence From Research on the Type D (Distressed) Personality Profile.Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2010;3(5):546-557. doi:10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.109.934406

Petticrew MP, Lee K, Mckee M.Type A Behavior Pattern and Coronary Heart Disease: Philip Morris’s “Crown Jewel”.Am J Public Health. 2012;102(11):2018-2025. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2012.300816

Lahey BB.Public health significance of neuroticism.Am Psychol.2009;64(4):241-256. doi:10.1037/a0015309

Deary IJ, Weiss A, Batty GD.Intelligence and Personality as Predictors of Illness and Death: How Researchers in Differential Psychology and Chronic Disease Epidemiology Are Collaborating to Understand and Address Health Inequalities.Psychol Sci Public Interest.2010;11(2):53-79. doi:10.1177/1529100610387081

Denollet J.Personality and coronary heart disease: the type-D scale-16 (DS16).Ann Behav Med.1998;20(3):209-215. doi:10.1007/BF02884962

Weston SJ, Hill PL, Jackson JJ.Personality Traits Predict the Onset of Disease.SAGE Journals.2015;6(3):309-317. doi:10.1177/1948550614553248

Uchino BN.Understanding the Links Between Social Support and Physical Health: A Life-Span Perspective With Emphasis on the Separability of Perceived and Received Support.Perspect Psychol Sci.2009;4(3):236-255. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6924.2009.01122.x

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