Chunk #45 — CAUSAL LINKS BETWEEN NEUROTICISM AND ADVERSE OUTCOMES — Causal Links Between Neuroticism and Physical Health Problems — Neuroticism and Physiological Stress Reactivity
There is emerging evidence from twin studies that the hypothesized moderation of physiological reactivity by neuroticism may be partly due to some genes influencing both neuroticism and physiological reactivity (Riese et al., 2007). At the molecular level, persons with at least one copy of the short allele of 5-HTTLPR have been found to have higher resting cortisol levels than persons with two long alleles (Jabbi et al., 2007). Similarly, the association between neuroticism and some health problems may reflect common genetic influences. For example, irritable bowel syndrome is associated with neuroticism (Spiller, 2007) and the short allele of 5-HTTLPR has been found to be associated with irritable bowel syndrome in humans (Yeo et al., 2004) and with analogous bowel dysfunctions in mice (Murphy & Lesch, 2008).
