Everyone knows that consistent physical exercise is vital to a healthy body and mind, but “less than a quarter of US adults reach the nationally recommended amount of regular exercise” (p. 1).
An expanding body of research continues to investigate why people fail to consistently exercise. Many interventions attempt to induce behavior change and increase exercise frequency, but success may simply boil down to personality differences.
Prior research has proven that personality traits are connected to healthy behavior, outcomes, and even to mortality risk.
The authors of this study hoped to discover if personality traits could predict an increase in exercise activity over a period of 35 days.
Specifically, the study included 52 participants ranging in age from 35 to 69. Participants were tracked in their goal of increasing daily steps using Fitbit readings, and their personality traits were assessed at the beginning of the study.
The trait of conscientiousness proved to be a strong predictor of the weekly goal of increasing steps. Conscientiousness, one of the Big Five personality traits, is associated with task completion, accountability, organization, and goal-directedness.
Neuroticism, a trait characterized by anxiety, worry, and self-doubt, was also a significant predictor of increasing step count, but only in conjunction with conscientiousness. This so-called “healthy neuroticism” included high rates of neuroticism combined with high conscientiousness.
Other personality traits measured by the Big Five (i.e., agreeableness, openness, and extraversion) were not significantly related to step count.
How might this study’s findings help with future physical health interventions? According to the authors, “it may be that individuals lower in conscientiousness may need an enriched intervention that also targets an increase in conscientiousness” and “recent work suggests that traits such as conscientiousness may be changeable with the help of targeted interventions” (pp. 6-7).
The study also highlights the positive role that neuroticism, frequently viewed as a negative personality trait, can play in behavioral change. When combined with high conscientiousness, these two traits may be particularly impactful at motivating individuals to reduce their anxiety about negative health outcomes by conscientiously working toward health goals.
Taking this a step further (pardon the pun), to increase successful adoption of health behaviors, “personality measures may function as an inexpensive and accessible tool” (p. 7) to personalize interventions.
Citation: Stieger, M., Robinson, S. A., Bisson, A. N., & Lachman, M. E. (2020). The relationship of personality and behavior change in a physical activity intervention: The role of conscientiousness and healthy neuroticism. Personality and Individual Differences, 166, 110224.
©Jennie Dilworth, Ph.D