Conscientiousness, career success, and longevity: a lifespan analysis.
BACKGROUND
Markers of executive functioning, such as prudent planning for the future and impulse control, are related to conscientiousness and may be central to both occupational success and health outcomes.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study was to examine relations among conscientiousness, career success, and mortality risk across a 65-year period.


METHODS
Using data derived from 693 male participants in the Terman Life Cycle Study, we examined associations among childhood personality, midlife objective career success, and lifelong mortality risk through 2006.


RESULTS
Conscientiousness and career success each predicted lower mortality risk (N = 693, relative hazard (rh) = 0.82 [95% confidence interval = 0.74, 0.91] and rh = 0.80 [0.71, 0.91], respectively), with both shared and unique variance. Importantly, childhood personality moderated the success-longevity link; conscientiousness was most relevant for least successful individuals.


CONCLUSIONS
Conscientiousness and career success predicted longevity, but not in a straightforward manner. Findings highlight the importance of lifespan processes.
Kern
Margaret L
ML
Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521-0426, USA. Margaret.kern@email.ucr.edu
Friedman
Howard S
HS
Martin
Leslie R
LR
Reynolds
Chandra A
CA
Luong
Gloria
G
D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002322:Career Mobility; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003242:Conscience; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008136:Longevity / Q000502:physiology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality / Q000502:physiology*; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012016:Reference Values; D012941:Social Responsibility