Conscientious Men Live Longer

It’s a sad fact, but look round the average nursing home and they are full to the rafters … with women.  Men often leave their partners widows but not the other way round.

Research by Howard Friedman and Margaret Kern in California (reported in the New Scientist) suggests a way to confound the statistics – act conscientiously.

The researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 20 papers that linked data from nearly 9000 people measuring conscientiousness and longevity.  What they found was quite remarkably.  People who were less conscientious were 50% more likely to die at any given age than those who were more conscientious.  The size of the effect was even greater than high social status and intelligence, both of which increase longevity.

But what is it about being conscientious that improves longevity so dramatically?  That’s still an open question, but I’m going to redouble my efforts to blog every week, without fail!