Women with higher neuroticism are less physically active
Personality traits help to understand why some people are physically
active and others are not

Date:
August 28, 2020
Source:
University of Jyva"skyla" - Jyva"skyla"n yliopisto
Summary:
A new study shows that the role of personality may vary depending
on how physical activity is measured.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Personality traits help to understand why some people are physically
active and others are not. A new study from the Gerontology Research
Center and the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University
of Jyva"skyla", Finland, shows that the role of personality may vary
depending on how physical activity is measured.


========================================================================== Personality traits reflect people's characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving. A study at the University of Jyva"skyla" focused
on two traits: extraversion and neuroticism. Individuals who score high
in extraversion are typically social, active and talkative. High scores
in neuroticism indicate a tendency to have negative feelings, such as
anxiety and self-pity.

The results showed that high extraversion and low neuroticism were linked
to higher leisure time physical activity in middle-aged women. Women who
scored high in extraversion reported more physical activity, but this was
not seen in the physical activity measured by an activity monitor. Women
who scored high in neuroticism reported less physical activity and had
less physical activity captured by activity monitors.

"Even though both methods assess the frequency, duration and intensity
of physical activity, they measure partly different aspects of physical activity," explains postdoctoral researcher Tiia Keka"la"inen from the Gerontology Research Center. "Activity monitors are better at capturing
all daily stepping activities whereas self-reporting better accounts for
all types of physical activities. Therefore, it is natural that results
are partly different between different physical activity measures. It
is important to use both ways to assess physical activity behavior." Personality traits may explain individual tendencies to estimate one's
own physical activity level Personality may explain the way individuals
assess their own level of physical activity. The results showed that
older adults scoring high in neuroticism reported less physical activity
than what was measured by accelerometers.

"Neuroticism describes a predisposition to experience negative feelings," Keka"la"inen says. "In addition to lower willingness to participate
in physical activities, this kind of tendency seems to be related to underreporting physical activity behavior. The information about the role
of personality could be used to help identify risk groups for inactivity
and in physical activity promotion work." Two larger research projects conducted at the Gerontology Research Center and Faculty of Sport and
Health Sciences provided data for the study: from a total of 314 older
men and women aged 70 to 85 years who participated in the PASSWORD study,
and from 1,098 middle-aged women aged 47 to 55 years who participated
in the ERMA study.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Jyva"skyla"_-_Jyva"skyla"n_yliopisto. Note: Content may
be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Tiia Keka"la"inen, Eija K. Laakkonen, Antonio Terracciano, Tiina
Savikangas, Matti Hyva"rinen, Tuija H. Tammelin, Timo Rantalainen,
Timo To"rma"kangas, Urho M. Kujala, Markku Alen, Vuokko Kovanen,
Sarianna Sipila", Katja Kokko. Accelerometer-measured and
self-reported physical activity in relation to extraversion
and neuroticism: a cross-sectional analysis of two studies. BMC
Geriatrics, 2020; 20 (1) DOI: 10.1186/ s12877-020-01669-7 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200828092006.htm

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