Research Feed

Want to stay active in later life? Personality may matter more than we think. This rapid review of 19 studies on adults 40+ found extraversion consistently linked to higher physical activity across the board, while neuroticism showed the opposite pattern, especially from midlife onward. Conscientiousness's link to activity actually got stronger with age (perhaps as sustained self-discipline pays off over time) while openness mattered mainly during life transitions (like retirement) rather than as a steady predictor. Agreeableness showed no clear pattern either way. The review also found almost no interventions tailored to personality, but the two that existed were telling: a digital self-control program worked best for highly conscientious people, while an exergaming program was more motivating for less extraverted participants — suggesting future activity programs might do better by matching the approach to the person rather than using one-size-fits-all.

In 239 university students, conscientiousness emerged as the strongest personality predictor of both general and sport-specific mental toughness, with agreeableness showing smaller positive contributions. Neuroticism wasn't linked to mental toughness directly but predicted higher competitive anxiety among athletes. Training frequency correlated with both toughness types, and general mental toughness related to academic performance. Sport-specific mental toughness negatively predicted competitive anxiety, suggesting conscientiousness and emotional stability jointly shape resilience under pressure.

A 2026 multilevel meta-analysis (k=34 studies) found agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, and openness positively associated with healthy eating and fruit/vegetable consumption; neuroticism was negatively associated. Agreeableness and conscientiousness also predicted lower sodium intake. Effect sizes were small but reliable, with openness-diet associations stronger in samples over age 30.

This large-scale meta-analysis of over 150,000 participants explores how the Big Five traits influence dietary habits. Researchers found that lower Neuroticism and higher levels of Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Agreeableness consistently predict a healthier diet. These traits affect everything from fruit intake to emotional eating patterns. Interestingly, the positive link between Agreeableness and healthy eating becomes even stronger as people get older.