One Personality Trait Linked to More Time in the Hospital, New Study Finds

A large international study has found that one personality trait — neuroticism — may be connected to spending more time in the hospital. Researchers from 46 groups around the world looked at how people's genes, or DNA, relate to five key personality traits. The study found that many of the same genes tied to personality were also linked to health, education, jobs, and how long people live.

The study was led by the Revived Genomics of Personality Consortium. Participants gave DNA samples and answered questions about their personalities. Researchers looked at the "Big Five" personality traits: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. They found more than 1,200 small genetic differences, called variants, connected to these traits. No single gene controls personality, but many tiny variants working together can make a real difference.

Neuroticism is the personality trait linked to feeling more negative emotions, like worry, sadness, and anxiety. People who score high in neuroticism tend to feel stressed more easily and may struggle to cope with hard situations. The study found that genetic variants connected to neuroticism also predicted that a person would spend more days in the hospital. This was one of the most notable health-related findings in the research. Scientists hope doctors and health researchers will pay attention to this connection.

Dr. T. Ayodele Ajayi, a psychiatrist who was not part of the study, helped explain what this link might mean. He said people with higher neuroticism might have more complicated health problems that need extra care and time to treat. They may also have a harder time adjusting to a health diagnosis or dealing with the stress of being sick. He also noted that some habits linked to neuroticism, like smoking or drinking too much alcohol, could make recovery harder. However, he stressed that the study shows a connection, not a proven cause and effect.

The research also found links between other personality traits and everyday habits. For example, genetic variants tied to conscientiousness — the trait of being careful and responsible — were linked to being more active during the day. Variants connected to openness to experience and extraversion were linked to staying up late at night. These are small but interesting patterns that show how personality can shape daily life. Scientists say personality, genes, and environment all work together and influence each other.

One example of this interaction stood out to researchers. People with genetic variants linked to openness to experience were more likely to move to busy, diverse cities. Living in those places may then help strengthen or shape that personality trait even more. This shows that genes are not the only factor — where you live and what you experience also matters. The same genetic variants linked to extraversion in a young person in the Netherlands could predict similar traits in an older person in the United States.

The lead author of the study, Ted Schwaba, is an assistant professor at Michigan State University. He said the goal is for many scientists in different fields to start including personality traits in their research. The findings could affect not just psychology, but also medicine, education, and even workplace research. Schwaba said, "Personality seems to be relevant nearly everywhere you look." The study was published in the journal Nature.