The Longevity Project Reflections

These two chapters focused on how conscientiousness is the best predictor of longevity, not sociability. There were 3 reasons behind this: conscientious people are less likely to engage in risky behaviors, are less prone to diseases, and set themselves up for success. All these reasons were extremely interesting because it showed that some of who you will be is already who you are. The chapter also discussed how people can change over time, so this is not necessarily the case.

I really enjoyed the section about sociability because when I was a child, I was very shy and extremely introverted. It was nice to see that that’s not necessarily a bad thing and helped me to see how I’ve changed overtime. I really enjoyed the interactive pieces of these chapters too to help me assess myself and how I can improve to achieve maximum longevity.

Chapter two reveals the link between conscientiousness and longevity.  This makes sense as those who are disciplined in their lives attempt to accomplish the goals that they have made. It is interesting to see how the personality trait changes in a person over time. I think it would be fascinating to research more about which changes made to one’s life would affect conscientious the most…or does it depend on other personal or environmental factors? In the case of James, he gradually became more conscientious but was it his enjoyment for his work or social relationships that increased his score? Is it even possible to dissect his behaviors to see what helped him develop this trait?

After taking the survey and then asking my roommates (I’ve known them since freshmen year) to score me, there were inconsistencies in the scores.  I gave myself lenient ratings for “I get my chores done on time” and “I often forget the original place of things” while they gave me a harsher, probably more realistic, rating. However, we were looking at this from different point of views. I focused on my academics and extracurriculars as “chores” since they have to be completed and I feel confident that I get my assignments done for them. However, my roommates all focused on the literal meaning as in chores around the house (ie vacuuming or cleaning my room). While I may not be diligent in my house chores, I am in my schoolwork. Thus, this could also be an inconsistency in the ratings for teachers and parents; having a different focus on what the child may or may not show great diligence.

A small critique that I have for this book so far is that it lacks the empirical evidence needed for us to accurately assess the extent to which the findings in this book are important. For example, the results may be significant but may have a small effect. I understand that as a pop culture book, people may be more interested in the findings and not the numerical content. However, as a psychology student, I am interested in both.

First of all, I found it really interesting that conscientiousness would prove to be the greatest predictor of length of life. I feel like people rarely consider this an important trait, and it seems to be rarely gauged in personality tests. It does, however, make a lot of sense that this would contribute to the reason why some people live longer than others.

In taking the test in the book, I scored a 47, which would make me considered a very conscientious person. However, I did think it was interesting to note their reasonings as to why conscientiousness would lead to a longer life. The section about conscientious people being more risk averse kind of struck me because I found that I do a lot of those behaviors, even though I am considered a conscientious person. In addition, I also have been diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, which would directly contradict the statements of the book that people with low serotonin levels are more likely to be less conscientious. However, I do find myself aligning with the third reason being that conscientious people are more likely to engage in healthy and stable relationships. I value my friends more than any other person on the planet and would consider myself to have extremely healthy and close relationships with my friends.

In looking at the chapter on sociability, I did agree that the natural thought process would be to think that those who are more social are more likely to live longer. It was surprising to me to find out that there really is no correlation between sociability and length of life. In this chapter I did find myself agreeing more with the findings in relation to my own level of sociability. I do agree that those who are more sociable are likely to find themselves more often in situations of being invited to parties and get togethers where they may engage in drinking. I definitely see logic towards the end of the chapter that it’s not necessarily more or less healthy to be sociable, and that it’s more about your level of comfort with how social and engaged with other people you are. I think that as long as you feel fulfilled and content with your relationships, you will be at low risk for health problems.

Chapter 3 of The Longevity Project details the ways sociability can both help and hurt longevity and the lack of association between childhood sociability and a long life. Being sociable can result in healthy enthusiasm and social connectedness, but also can be problematic, as sociable people are more likely to drink, smoke and behave dangerously due to social pressure or find a buzz more inherently appealing. In this way, sociability can cut both ways. As well, the chapter explains why longevity is important when considering the health of a country or state, explaining that  life expectancy is the greatest measure of quality of health. Finally, the chapter suggests that the best way to find a balance between the benefits and risks of sociability is to be selective about who one socializes with and cultivate strong social relations.

This chapter relates to the experiences of my family as we are sociable in forming deep interpersonal connections but not extraverted or sociable in the context of always preferring to be around others. My parents are a great example of this; they often prefer one another’s company to the company of many people at a large gathering. In this way, because they have a deep connection they are sociable with one another but not extraverted or outgoing.

This chapter makes me hopeful about my future, as I form meaningful social ties but do not feel social pressure to excessively drink or smoke. As described in the chapter, this type of sociability is most beneficial to health, and because I have a strong support system but do not engage in risky behaviors, I advance my chances of a long life.

Chapter 2 of Longevity Project focuses on the role of conscientiousness in predicting longevity. The personality trait of conscientiousness, or being prudent, persistant and well-organized, is correlated with long life, a finding contrary to conventional wisdom but explained by various rationales. Conscientiousness may be correlated with longevity since conscientious people take good care of their health, because conscientiousness has the same biological causes as good health (both related to high serotonin levels) or due to the fact that conscientious people maintain healthy relationships. The chapter described how it is possible for people to increase their level of conscientiousness with small, progressive steps and examined the link between low conscientiousness and chronic disease.

Chapter 2 relates to my personal experiences as I notice my Mom’s conscientious nature makes her particularly mindful of her health. She is a hard worker, prudent and put-together, and this translates to her care for her physical well-being. For example, especially due to family history of heart failure, my Mom exercises regularly and walks places when she is able to. As well, because she is a vegetarian, she is diligent about getting adequate nutrition from non-meat sources, such as protein from chickpeas, nuts and tofu. This focus on physical health is a result of her conscientious nature and will benefit her in the long-run.

This chapter relates to my perceptions of my future as it gives me hope for my longevity. I am definitely consciencious, and prior to reading The Longevity Project, I believed this was at odds with my well-being as conventional wisdom is that worrying is bad for long-term health. However, as described in the chapter, conscientiousness is a predictor of longevity, and I notice in my own life how my conscientious nature relates to my care for my physical health (I try to workout regularly, eat well and am cautious of injury), substantiating the idea that I may live longer.

These two chapters highlighted the benefits of conscientious and of being cautious in social situations.  The third chapter spoke on how the participants in the study who were less social had the tendency to live longer and that this was likely due to the pressure and unhealthy habits that can arise from certain social situations.  Beyond the biological tendencies that the chapters mentioned, the take away from the two is to avoid excess stress and excess risk.  The traits associated with conscientious people (such as detail-oriented, well organized, and persistent) are good skills for managing everyday life and avoiding excess stress.  On the social side, the chapter didn’t mean to say that social interactions are necessarily bad, but that they have a risk factor associated with them dependent on the quality of the relationships.  Social high schoolers are more likely to be involved in situations involving drugs and alcohol compared to less social peers who might live longer as a result.

This makes me think that there is more value in personal time and taking a break from social events than I previously thought.  Along those lines I’m more encouraged to continue making lists in an attempt to manage my time and obligations to work towards being more conscientious, as well as trying to be more aware of everything going on around me.  It makes me wonder, as my generation gets older, how should we be raising children with chapter 3 in mind?  I don’t think discouraging social interactions is at all the answer, but should teachers and parents be pushing shy children so hard to be outgoing if the study found that shy children usually still grow into successful, happy, and somewhat social adults?

The common denominator that stuck out to me in these chapters was consistency. Whether in sociability or conscientiousness, those who lived a more stable, consistent life seemed to live longer. Friedman and Martin emphasize the importance of having a stable job, a stable marriage, and stable social life, all of which consistency plays a large role. We can make sense of this in reality: Someone who goes home to their partner every night instead of going out to bars, etc. will be less likely to contract diseases or get into an accident. As college students, most of us would also agree to the importance of a stable schedule, in that knowing what our next steps are (more or less) throughout the week result in less stress, more sleep, and a more regulated diet. I think most personality traits can be thought of with this consistency-centered thought process, in which someone who lives on a somewhat fixed schedule with stable relationships and habits is healthier in the long term.

In Chapters 2 and 3, they focus in on two traits: conscientiousness and sociability. They found that children and adults that are more conscientious live longer than those that are not. They protect their health more, are biologically predisposed to be conscientious, and actually lead better lives. On the other hand, those that are more sociable do not live longer than those who are not.

These findings shocked me on a personal level. On both rankings, I am highly conscientious and highly sociable. I always thought that being conscientious was something that I should repress. I believed it made me look neurotic, anxious, or boring. Therefore, I channeled more of my sociable side. I try to outwardly be more outgoing and talkative. Now knowing these results, perhaps I shouldn’t hide my conscientious side. While I still do not believe that being sociable is a bad thing, maybe pairing it with a more “prudent” lifestyle would ultimately help me live a longer, happier lifestyle.

The findings that were presented in chapters 2 and 3 of the Longevity project stated that a) conscientiousness was a key personality predictor of long life and that b) there was no association between being sociable as a child and living a long life. The second finding is especially intriguing because of all the myths surrounded around being sociable, being with groups and living a longer life. What people don’t realize is that the composition of these groups may also influence the longevity of life. Once again, chapter 3 left us on a cliff hanger, so I’m interested to see the unexpected, real social reasons for long term health.

Immediately after reading about how conscientiousness was a key personality predictor of long life, I instantly thought of people who may have scored low on the conscientious assessment. The behaviors they take part of are riskier, such as drinking or smoking substances. Also, now knowing that some people are biologically predisposed to be more healthy leads me to question if those who I thought of before ever have a chance to change their ways. By having more chemicals in the brain, like serotonin, they automatically have a leg up on regulating health-relevant processes like how well they sleep. Do the people I know that have sleeping problems have to become more conscientious person in order to maintain their health?

My biggest worry is to lose those closest to me because of unhealthy social environments and relationships. According to the self-assessment in chapter 2, I am scored exceptionally high in conscientiousness (39 out of 50). Would I be able to suggest to those around me about the finding of this book and the importance of being a more conscientious person? Perhaps by using the behavior changing techniques learned in lab, there are ways to encourage those around me to become a bit more aware of their social environments and behaviors that are not as high risk.