Facets of conscientiousness and longevity: Findings from the Health and Retirement Study.

Objectives: Conscientiousness is the strongest personality predictor of longevity. The present study examined which facets of conscientiousness are the most strongly related to mortality risk in a large longitudinal sample of middle-aged and older adults. Method: Seven-year mortality data were obtained from participants (total N > 11,000) from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS, 2008–2014). Six facets of conscientiousness, demographic factors, disease burden, smoking and physical inactivity were assessed at baseline. Results: Controlling for demographic factors, every standard deviation higher order, traditionalism, virtue, and responsibility was related to an approximately 10% reduced risk of mortality; industriousness was associated with an almost 25% lower likelihood of mortality. Except for traditionalism, these associations were partially accounted by health and behavioral covariates. Self-control was not related to longevity. When all facets and the covariates were simultaneously included, only industriousness was significantly associated with mortality. Conclusions: The present study provides new evidence about the specific facets of conscientiousness that are related to longevity.