Personality traits are dimensions of individual differences in cognitive, emotional, and behavioral patterns hypothesized to influence health and longevity (1–4). In part, this association is thought to be based on the impact of personality on health risk behaviors, such as those contributing to obesity, sexually transmitted disease, or cigarette smoking (1, 5–8), which are leading causes of disability and death (9, 10). In addition, personality traits are related to psychopathology (11–13), coping mechanisms (14), adherence to medical treatment (15, 16), well-being (17), as well as interpersonal relations and social integration (18), which in turn are all related to health outcomes (19, 20).
