title: Personality traits and leptin.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Personality traits related to high neuroticism and low conscientiousness are consistently associated with obesity. Hormones implicated in appetite and metabolism, such as leptin, may also be related to personality and may contribute to the association between these traits and obesity. The present research examined the association between leptin and Five Factor Model personality traits.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 5214 participants (58% women; mean [standard deviation] age = 44.42 [15.93] years; range, 18-94 years) from the SardiNIA project completed the Revised NEO Personality Inventory, a comprehensive measure of personality traits, and their blood samples were assayed for leptin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  As expected, lower conscientiousness was associated with higher circulating levels of leptin (r = -0.05, p < .001), even after controlling for body mass index, waist circumference, or inflammatory markers (r = -0.05, p < .001). Neuroticism, in contrast, was unrelated to leptin (r = 0.01, p = .31).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Individuals who are impulsive and lack discipline (low conscientiousness) may develop leptin resistance, which could be one factor that contributes to obesity, whereas the relation between a proneness to anxiety and depression (high neuroticism) and obesity may be mediated through other physiological and/or behavioral pathways.
authors.affiliation: Florida State University College of Medicine, 1115 W. Call Street, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA. angelina.sutin@med.fsu.edu
authors.forename: Angelina R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Sutin
authors.forename: Alan B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Zonderman
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uda
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Deiana
authors.forename: Dennis D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Taub
authors.forename: Dan L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Longo
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferrucci
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schlessinger
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cucca
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Terracciano
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity / Q000502:physiology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000097:blood* / Q000523:psychology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000097:blood* / Q000523:psychology; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D007558:Italy; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D000075384:Neuroticism; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000523:psychology*; D010551:Personality / Q000502:physiology*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D055105:Waist Circumference / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D020738:Leptin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein
keywords: appetite; conscientiousness; depression; impulsivity; inflammation; leptin; neuroticism; obesity; personality traits; self-discipline