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Personality traits and physical functioning: a cross-sectional multimethod facet-level analysis
Tiia Kekäläinen1, Antonio Terracciano2, Sarianna Sipilä3
1Gerontology Research Center and Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland. tiia.m.kekalainen@jyu.fi.
Summary
Older adults with higher extraversion and conscientiousness traits showed better physical activity and walking performance. Some personality facets, like openness, were linked to overestimating physical activity levels.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology and Personality Psychology
- Behavioral Science and Health
Background:
- Understanding the relationship between personality and physical activity in older adults is crucial for promoting healthy aging.
- Discrepancies between self-reported and objectively measured physical activity are common and may be influenced by personality traits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine associations between personality traits/facets and physical activity/walking performance in older adults.
- To determine if personality traits explain the gap between self-reported and accelerometer-assessed physical activity.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 239 community-dwelling older adults (70-85 years) in a Finnish clinical trial.
- Assessed personality using the NEO Personality Inventory-3, physical activity via self-report (MET-minutes) and accelerometers, and walking performance (6-min walk, 10-m walk speed).
- Employed linear regression analyses, controlling for covariates like age, sex, BMI, and disease burden.
Main Results:
- Extraversion facets (activity, positive emotions) and openness facets were positively linked to physical activity and/or walking performance.
- Conscientiousness showed associations with activity and performance, but these were not significant after controlling for covariates.
- Impulsiveness (neuroticism) negatively correlated with light physical activity and walking performance, while moderate-to-vigorous activity showed no personality links.
Conclusions:
- Higher scores in extraversion and conscientiousness facets correlate with greater physical activity and better walking performance in older adults.
- Openness and excitement-seeking extraversion facets are associated with superior walking performance and a tendency to overestimate physical activity.
- Personality traits offer insights into both objective physical capabilities and subjective activity reporting in aging populations.
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