Big 5 personality traits and interleukin-6: Evidence for “healthy Neuroticism” in a US population sample

Abstract

The current study investigated if the Big 5 personality traits predicted interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in a national sample over the course of 5 years. In addition, interactions among the Big 5 were tested to provide a more accurate understanding of how personality traits may influence an inflammatory biomarker. Data included 1,054 participants in the Midlife Development in the U.S. (MIDUS) biomarkers subproject. The Big 5 personality traits were assessed in 2005-06 as part of the main MIDUS survey. Medication use, comorbid conditions, smoking behavior, alcohol use, body mass index, and serum levels of IL-6 were assessed in 2005-2009 as part of the biomarkers subproject. Linear regression analyses examined personality associations with IL-6. A significant Conscientiousness*Neuroticism interaction revealed that those high in both Conscientiousness and Neuroticism had lower circulating IL-6 levels than people with all other configurations of Conscientiousness and Neuroticism. Adjustment for health behaviors diminished the magnitude of this association but did not eliminate it, suggesting that lower comorbid conditions and obesity may partly explain the lower inflammation of those high in both Conscientiousness and Neuroticism. Our findings suggest, consistent with prior speculation, that average to higher levels of Neuroticism can in some cases be associated with health benefits—in this case when it is accompanied by high Conscientiousness. Using personality to identify those at risk may lead to greater personalization in the prevention and remediation of chronic inflammation.

How do people respond to health news? The role of personality traits

“…On the positive side, anxiety could be channeled towards maintaining or increasing beneficial behaviors through vigilance (Friedman, 2000). Currently, the majority of studies that test this so called "healthy neurotic" only do so in individuals who are both high in neuroticism and high in conscientiousness -taking the worry and pairing it with a trait associated with doing something about that worry (e.g., noticing and then stopping poor health habits; Turiano et al, 2013;. However, this interaction did not predict health responses.…”

“…Some have suggested that neuroticism is healthy when paired with high conscientiousness, a trait that allows individuals to deal productively with stress (Gartland, O'Connor & Lawton, 2012). When paired with high conscientiousness, high neuroticism has been found to predict lower levels of smoking (Turiano et al, 2012) and better physical health (Roberts, Smith, Jackson & Edmonds, 2009;Turiano et al, 2013). Thus, while conscientiousness has consistent associations with positive health -and thus is expected to predict adaptive responses to health news -the links between neuroticism and health are more complex, and so it is unclear whether neuroticism will predict responses or in what direction.…”

Physical Activity Mediates the Association between Personality and Biomarkers of Health

“…Studies have suggested that personality may play a role such that higher neuroticism, lower conscientiousness, lower extraversion, and lower openness are related to elevated fibrinogen, IL-6, and CRP (Armon et al, 2013;Luchetti et al, 2014;Mottus, Luciano, Starr, Pollard, & Deary, 2013;Sutin et al, 2010;Turiano et al, 2013). Interactions of these personality traits have indicated that high conscientiousness and high neuroticism together predicted lower IL-6 (Turiano et al, 2013).…”

“…There is a well-established literature regarding the associations between personality and inflammation (Luchetti, Barkley, Stephan, Terracciano, & Sutin, 2014;Sutin et al, 2010;Turiano, Mroczek, Moynihan, & Chapman, 2013), between personality and physical activity (Cotter & Lachman, 2010;De Moor, Beem, Stubbe, Boomsma, & De Geus, 2006;Wilson, Das, Evans, & Dishman, 2015), and between physical activity and chronic inflammation (Ertek & Cicero, 2012;Kasapis & Thompson, 2005;Woods, Vieira, & Keylock, 2009;Woods, Wilund, Martin, & Kistler, 2012). However, none have examined possible interlinking pathways between the three constructs.…”

The Relationship Between Neuroticism and Inflammatory Markers: A Twin Study

“…This is remarkable, as inflammatory markers such as neuroticism have been linked to a variety of mental and physical disorders (as mentioned above). More specifically, higher levels of neuroticism have been (prospectively) associated with increased serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6 (McManus, 2013, Turiano et al, 2013, as well as higher leukocyte counts (Daruna, 1996;Sutin et al, 2010 the inflammatory markers CRP, IL-6 and fibrinogen (Millar et al, 2013). Thus, the literature on the relationship between neuroticism and inflammatory markers is inconsistent.…”