AllTop Viral!

Young adults aren’t known for rushing into their doctor’s office with the least little sniffle, if they run to one at all, but a personality assessment in one’s twenties could indicate a tendency toward certain preventable conditions down the line.

In the study, people who were more conscientious — a personality trait that indicates a tendency to be self-disciplined and orderly — at age 26 were in better health 12 years later than people who were less disciplined.

Among those who were the least conscientious as young adults, 45 percent went on to develop health problems by age 38, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and gum disease, while just 18 percent of the most conscientious people developed one of these health problems, said study researcher Salomon Israel, of Duke University.

Another type of personality that manifested itself in better health later in life was “openness to experience,” people who tend to like a variety of experiences and are more creative.

Another study of the effectiveness of doctor’s office assessments indicated that those who had just met a person could make these assessments with some accuracy, and inform doctors what preventative measures should be put in place.

“Integrating personality measurement into primary care may be an inexpensive and accessible way to identify which young adults are in need of their doctors’ attention to promote a healthy lifestyle while they are yet young, in time to prevent disease onset,” the researchers wrote in the March issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Looks like a pound of personality-based prevention could very well be worth a pound or more of cure later in life.

Now, good luck getting them into the office.

Full story at LiveScience.

Staying healthy.

Photo credit: Fotolia