Personality - PsyBlog

This Personality Type Often Loses Themselves In Fiction

What happens in the brain when readers strongly identify with fictional characters.

People who enjoy fantasising are most likely to lose themselves in fiction.

Those high in fantasising — or ‘trait identification’, as the researchers call it — experience strong involvement with the feelings and actions of characters in books, plays and movies.

They may feel as though they actually are one of their favourite fictional characters, experiencing their emotions and imagining how it would feel if those events were happening to them.

The more immersed people become in fiction, the more they use the same part of the brain to think about fictional characters as they do to think about themselves.

The study involved 19 fans of the book and TV show ‘Game of Thrones’, who were asked to pick their favourite character.

Their brains were scanned while they thought about themselves, a friend or about a Game of Thrones character.

The results showed that people high in trait identification (fantasising) had greater activation in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex, a region involved in thinking about ourselves and close friends.

The area of the brain was particularly active when people thought about the character they identified with the most.

Mr Timothy Broom, the study’s first author, said:

“People who are high in trait identification not only get absorbed into a story, they also are really absorbed into a particular character.
They report matching the thoughts of the character, they are thinking what the character is thinking, they are feeling what the character is feeling.
They are inhabiting the role of that character.”

The findings help explain why fiction can have such a powerful effect on some people.

Dr Dylan Wanger, study co-author, said:

“For some people, fiction is a chance to take on new identities, to see worlds through others’ eyes and return from those experiences changed.
What previous studies have found is that when people experience stories as if they were one of the characters, a connection is made with that character, and the character becomes entwined with the self.
In our study, we see evidence of that in their brains.”

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The study was published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (Broom et al., 2021).

The Personality Trait Linked To A Very Long Life

The trait can increase the odds of reaching 85-years-old by up to 70 percent.

The personality trait of optimism is linked to a very longer life.

People who are optimistic are more likely to live an exceptionally long life.

Being optimistic — a trait that can be boosted — can increase the odds of reaching 85-years-old by up to 70 percent.

Optimistic people tend to expect positive outcomes in the future.

Critically, optimists believe they can control their lives and make improvements.

Optimists tend to lead healthier lives and are also better at regulating their emotions.

They are less likely to smoke, have better body mass indexes and are more physically active.

Dr Lewina Lee, the study’s first author, said:

“While research has identified many risk factors for diseases and premature death, we know relatively less about positive psychosocial factors that can promote healthy aging.
This study has strong public health relevance because it suggests that optimism is one such psychosocial asset that has the potential to extend the human lifespan.
Interestingly, optimism may be modifiable using relatively simple techniques or therapies.”

The study included 71,173 people whose optimism and overall health was tracked.

The group were tracked for up to three decades.

The results showed that the most optimistic people lived up to 15 percent longer, with a 50-70 percent higher chance of reaching 85-years-old than the least optimistic people.

One of the reasons optimists live longer could be a healthier lifestyle, along with dealing with stress more effectively, said Dr Laura Kubzansky, study co-author:

“Other research suggests that more optimistic people may be able to regulate emotions and behavior as well as bounce back from stressors and difficulties more effectively.”

Increase your optimism

Exercises such as visualising your ‘best possible self‘ have been shown to increase optimism.

Visualising your best possible self may sound like an exercise in fantasy but, crucially, it does have to be realistic.

Carrying out this exercise typically involves imagining your life in the future, but a future where everything that could go well, has gone well.

You have reached those realistic goals that you have set for yourself.

Then, to help cement your visualisation, you commit your best possible self to paper.

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The study was published in the journal PNAS (Lee et al., 2019).

Are Introverts Really Better Listeners Than Extraverts? (M)

Many believe introverts are naturally better listeners. Four studies suggest the truth is more complicated.

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Scientists Compared People’s Exes And Discovered A Fascinating Pattern

A study of relationships uncovered a hidden pattern that keeps showing up in people’s romantic lives.

People tend to look for the same personality type in a partner over-and-over again.

One of the main things people look for is a similar personality to themselves.

So, extraverts prefer other extraverts, agreeable people prefer other agreeable people, and so on.

However, it is more than that: there is also a lot of similarity between a person’s ex-partners.

One advantage of repeatedly dating similar people is learning how to navigate a particular personality type.

Ms Yoobin Park, the study’s first author, said:

“In every relationship, people learn strategies for working with their partner’s personality.
If your new partner’s personality resembles your ex-partner’s personality, transferring the skills you learned might be an effective way to start a new relationship on a good footing.”

People have a ‘type’

The conclusions come from a study of 332 people.

Researchers compared the personalities of participants’ current partners with those of their former partners.

They were asked how much they agreed with statements like:

“I am usually modest and reserved.”
“I am interested in many different kinds of things.”
“I make plans and carry them out.”

The results showed that people tend to have a ‘type’, said Ms Park:

“It’s common that when a relationship ends, people attribute the breakup to their ex-partner’s personality and decide they need to date a different type of person.
Our research suggests there’s a strong tendency to nevertheless continue to date a similar personality.
The effect is more than just a tendency to date someone similar to yourself.
The degree of consistency from one relationship to the next suggests that people may indeed have a ‘type’.
And though our data do not make clear why people’s partners exhibit similar personalities, it is noteworthy that we found partner similarity above and beyond similarity to oneself.”

In some circumstances, though, sticking to the same personality type all the time can be damaging, said Ms Park:

“So, if you find you’re having the same issues in relationship after relationship, you may want to think about how gravitating toward the same personality traits in a partner is contributing to the consistency in your problems.”

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Park & MacDonald, 2019).

The Personality Trait Linked To Good Mental Health

Personality, though, changes how people interpret and deal with the things that happen to them.

People who are extraverted are less likely to suffer mental health problems, personality research finds.

Extraverts are typically outgoing, talkative and energetic and they tend to have more positive emotions.

However, people who are aggressive and neurotic — a tendency to worry and be emotionally unstable — are at higher risk of mental health problems.

Neuroticism is characterised by negative thinking in a range of areas.

Neurotic people are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety, as well as drinking and drug problems.

Neuroticism, like other aspects of personality, is highly heritable — in other words, it is in a person’s genes.

However, neuroticism can be reduced by psychotherapy.

Neurotic people can learn to think differently, use their neuroticism creatively and perhaps reduce their neuroticism by falling in love.

Tracked for three decades

These conclusions are based on almost 600 participants in Switzerland.

They were regularly interviewed from around age 19 in 1979 until they reached their fifties in 2008.

The researchers asked about their families, mental health, personality, drug-related problems and major life events such as relationship break-ups and job losses.

People who are aggressive, neurotic and introverted are particularly at risk, the study’s authors write:

“…persons scoring high on aggressiveness and neuroticism and low on extraversion had an approximately 6 times increased risk for internalising disorder [like depression and anxiety] compared to persons scoring low on aggressiveness and neuroticism and high on extraversion.”

Of course, personality is only one factor that affects whether a person might experience a mental health problem.

Some people’s lives are much more difficult than others.

The researchers found that people who experienced job losses and relationship break-ups were more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety.

Personality, though, changes how people interpret and deal with the things that happen to them.

The study’s authors conclude:

“Our findings stress the fundamental role of personality, mainly neuroticism, for the occurrence, persistence and severity of psychopathology.”

The study was published in the journal European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience (Hengartner et al., 2017).

Perfectionism Is Related To Higher Depression Risk — But It Can Be Reduced

How to reduce the damage done by this depressive personality trait.

The personality trait of perfectionism is linked to higher depression risk, a review of ten different studies finds.

Perfectionists are often worried about making mistakes and tend to be highly self-critical.

Feeling societal pressure to perform to a high standard, they often believe others are continually judging them.

When perfectionists fail to meet their lofty standards, they tend to get depressed.

Practising self-acceptance or self-compassion is one of the best ways of dealing with perfectionistic tendencies.

Neuroticism + perfectionism

The conclusions come from analysing the results of 10 separate studies including 1,758 people.

The results showed that neuroticism, or ‘negative emotionality’, is the personality trait most strongly linked to depression.

However, being a perfectionist is associated with an additional risk.

The authors explain their results:

“In our meta-analysis of 10 longitudinal studies composed of undergraduate, community member, psychiatric patient, outpatient and medical student samples, neuroticism was the strongest predictor of change in depressive symptoms.
Even so, all seven perfectionism dimensions still predicted change in depressive symptoms beyond neuroticism.”

The weight of social pressure

One aspect of perfectionism is feeling societal pressure.

The authors write:

“…socially prescribed perfectionism, concern over mistakes, doubts about actions, self-criticism, and perfectionistic attitudes add incrementally to understanding change in depressive symptoms beyond neuroticism.”

Perfectionism is problematic because high standards are so hard to reach consistently.

The authors write:

“…people high in perfectionistic concerns appear to think, feel and behave in ways that have depressogenic consequences [causing depression].
Such people believe others hold lofty expectations for them, and often feel incapable of living up to the perfection they perceive others demand.
They may agonize about perceived failures and have doubts about performance abilities because they experience their social world as judgmental, pressure-filled and unyielding.”

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The study was published in the European Journal of Personality (Smith et al., 2016).

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The drive to be perfect is rising. So is the damage it causes. Find out what research says — and how to break free.

Perfectionism involves being highly self-critical, constantly striving to meet the standards set by others — typically parents or mentors — and doubting whether one's own efforts are ever good enough.

Unfortunately, striving to appear flawless and achieve perfection in everything can damage both mental and physical health.

Despite having higher IQs, perfectionists can suffer psychologically and physically because they are under continuous stress.

These 11 studies explore how the relentless pursuit of impossible standards often masks deep-seated anxieties -- and how perfectionists can cope with them.

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The Personality Trait Linked To Positive Aging

This personality trait is linked to living almost 8 years longer on average.

Optimists are most likely to hold positive beliefs about aging.Critically, optimists believe they can control their lives and make improvements.This means that believing in a healthy, engaged old age is a self-fulfilling prophecy — people with these views tend to experience better health and are more active and social.Ms Shelbie Turner, the study’s first author, said:

“How we think about who we’re going to be in old age is very predictive of exactly how we will be.”

Studies have found that people who imagine themselves more positively at age 50 tend to enjoy better health 40 years later.They are less likely to suffer a heart attack, have better memory, a greater will to live and are less likely to die prematurely.Professor Karen Hooker, study co-author, said:

“Previous research has shown that people who have positive views of aging at 50 live 7.5 years longer, on average, than people who don’t.”

For the study, 244 people were tested for their optimistic traits and for how they saw themselves in the future.Each person listed two ‘hoped-for’ future selves and two ‘feared’ future selves.For example, participants feared becoming chronically ill and living with pain, while hoping to remain healthy and active.The results revealed that optimistic people held more positive views about aging.

Overcoming ageist stereotypes

Older people are often stereotyped as suffering memory problems, having difficulty exercising and being poor drivers.Professor Hooker said:

“Kids as young as 4 years old already have negative stereotypes about old people.Then, of course, if you’re lucky enough to live to old age, they eventually apply to you.”

Even older people sometimes reinforce these stereotypes themselves in the way they behave and think about aging.Professor Hooker said:

“People need to realize that some of the negative health consequences in later life might not be biologically driven.The mind and the body are all interwoven.If you believe these bad things are going to happen, over time that can erode people’s willingness or maybe even eventually their ability to engage in those health behaviors that are going to keep them as healthy as they can be.”

According to Professor Hooker, greater interaction between younger and older generations could help foster more positive views of aging:

“The more you’re around older people, the more you realize that it’s not all bad.Older people can do some things better than young people do. Increasing opportunities for intergenerational relationships is one way we can make people more optimistic about aging.”

Increase your optimism

People naturally become more optimistic with age, studies have found.However, exercises such as visualising your ‘best possible self‘ have been shown to increase optimism in the short-term.Visualising your best possible self may sound like an exercise in fantasy but, crucially, it has to be realistic.Carrying out this exercise typically involves imagining your life in the future, but a future where everything that could go well has gone well.In this imagined future, you have achieved the realistic goals you set for yourself.Then, to help reinforce the exercise, you write down a description of your best possible self.The study was published in the The International Journal of Aging and Human Development (Turner & Hooker, 2020).

2 Personality Traits That Are Vital For Success

The personality traits that help cadets graduate from the US Military Academy at West Point.

Grit and intelligence are two personality factors vital for success.

Grit is the trait of perseverance and passion that keeps people working towards long-term goals.

While higher intelligence helps people succeed at certain activities, it may be grit that really propels people over the line.

The conclusions come from a study of over 11,258 cadets entering the US Military Academy at West Point.

Professor Angela Duckworth, the study’s first author, said:

“I was looking for a context in which people might be quitting too early.
There’s such a thing as quitting at the right time.
But there’s also such a thing as quitting on a bad day when you’re discouraged and maybe shouldn’t be making such a big decision.”

All cadets entering the Academy in nine successive years completed measures of grit, plus the researchers had access to cognitive scores and tests of physical abilities.

Professor Duckworth said:

“We accumulated all this data in part so we could answer more definitively the question of whether grit predicted success outcomes.
We now have more confidence in our original conclusions.
At the same time, we wanted to explore where, perhaps, grit wasn’t the most important factor.”

The results showed that the trait of grit was most useful to cadets during ‘Beast Barracks’, a six-week initiation during which 3 percent of cadets drop out.

Professor Duckworth said:

“The grittier you are, the less likely you are to drop out during that very discouraging time.”

In classroom activities it was intelligence that mattered most.

To graduate from West Point, though, a combination of grit and physical ability was more important than cognitive abilities.

Professor Duckworth said:

“This work shows us that grit is not the only determinant of success.
Yes, it’s very important, helping people stick with things when they’re hard, but it’s not the best predictor of every aspect of success.”

Fascinatingly, the higher cadets’ cognitive abilities, the lower their grit.

Smarter people seem to have less determination to overcome the odds, perhaps because they face fewer challenges.

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The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Duckworth et al., 2019).

2 Fascinating Signs Of A Stronger Immune System

These two personality traits are linked to having a stronger immune system.

People with a positive and uninhibited personality tend to have a stronger immune system.

People with stable emotions who are extraverted and outgoing also tend to show lower immune system activation, suggesting better overall health.

Extraverted people tend to focus on the world around them and are happiest when socially engaged and active.

Two signs that a person has a positive and outgoing personality are strongly disagreeing with both the following statements:

“I often find myself worrying about something.”
“I would rather keep people at a distance.”

The conclusions come partly from a study which found that people who are extraverted and have stable emotions are at lower risk of dying from peripheral artery disease.

By contrast, a negative and inhibited personality is linked to a weaker immune system.

This type of negative personality is sometimes known as ‘type D’, where D stands for distressed.

The study’s authors explain:

“Preliminary evidence suggests that personality traits such as hostility may also be associated with the severity and progression of atherosclerosis [plaque buildup] in patients with PAD.
Another potential individual risk factor in this context is the distressed personality type (type D).
Type D refers to the joint tendency to experience negative emotions and to inhibit self-expression in social interaction.”

The researchers tracked 184 patients with peripheral artery disease.

The results showed that people with a type D personality were at higher risk of dying.

A type D personality is characterised by neuroticism and introversion.

One of the reasons for the link may be, the authors write:

“…inadequate self-management of chronic disease is a potential behavioral mechanism that may explain the relation between type D personality and poor prognosis in cardiovascular disease.”

The study was published in the journal The Archives of Surgery (Aquarius et al., 2009).