From: Quartz

The life-extending power of being neurotic

Quartz:

Neuroticism won’t make life more enjoyable, but it can help it last longer, according to a four-year study published this month in Psychological Science.

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh, University of Southampton, and University College London found that higher neuroticism was associated with a “reduced risk of death from all causes”—but only for one type of neurotic.

All 321,456 participants in the study filled in a questionnaire emphasizing two types of neuroticism. The first kind, “anxious-tense” had a higher affirmative response to such questions as, “Would you call yourself a nervous person?” and “Would you call yourself tense or ‘highly strung’?” Meanwhile, “worried-vulnerable” neurotics were identified by their response to such questions as “Do you worry too long after an embarrassing experience?” and “Are your feelings easily hurt?”

Read the whole story: Quartz


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