Psychologists from the University of Tartu in Estonia summarized the results of a large study examining the relationship between personality traits and body weight over time. The article was published in the scientific journal magazine Journal of Personality (JOP).
Personality traits are psychological characteristics that affect a person’s behavior, motivation, thoughts and feelings in various situations. They are relatively stable and consistent; this allows experts to classify and describe a person’s individual differences. The most accepted personality concept is the Big Five model. He proposes that people have five core traits: neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness.
The study authors noted that previous research in this area did not clarify the nature of the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and personality. Does body weight affect personality, or is body weight influenced by personality traits? Could there be another factor affecting both?
To find out, they analyzed data from another study that collected information about Wisconsin high school graduates in the United States for decades.
The results showed very weak relationships between personality traits and BMI measured at the same time point. At the same time, personal characteristics at a particular point in time were not associated with future BMI values. Although the statistical model was able to predict future BMI values using responses to individual personality survey items, it found no correlations with measures of personality traits.
However, scientists have found that BMI can predict changes in personality traits in the future. Therefore, individuals with lower index values (those who were thin for their height) were, on average, more conscientious and agreeable than those with higher BMI values.
Conscientiousness is a personality trait characterized by the tendency to be organized, responsible, goal-oriented, and reliable, and is often associated with being diligent, punctual, and detail-oriented in one’s actions and work. Agreeableness, on the other hand, is a personality trait that reflects a person’s tendency to be cooperative, kind, empathetic, and generally pleasant.
“Overall, we found that body mass index had within-person correlations with agreeableness, conscientiousness, and various personality traits, and also predicted changes in the same traits over time periods ranging from 7 to 11 years in a large sample of adults.” The study authors concluded:
Previous scientists assumedA person’s diet in childhood can influence their character in the future.