A team of scientists from the University of Cambridge and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine found that people with certain personality traits, such as introversion or neuroticism, are more likely to suffer from depression. Research results published In Journal of Affective Disorders (JAD).
For the study, researchers analyzed data from nearly 1,500 personality psychological surveys completed by volunteers ages six to 85. The test included an assessment of the volunteers’ emotional stability and their tendency to be impulsive, sociable, open or, conversely, calm and solitary.
The results showed that people with certain personality traits, such as introversion or neuroticism, were more likely to suffer from depression. Introversion is a typological orientation of a personality whose main characteristics focus on one’s inner experiences. Neuroticism is a trait that characterizes the speed at which a person’s psyche returns to a normal, calm state after some experience. It is characterized by high levels of neuroticism, emotional instability and anxiety.
Scientists also found that this connection was most pronounced in adolescents. Most likely, this was due to incomplete maturation of the prefrontal cortex and the resulting “exacerbation” of certain character traits.
Previously found Genetic link between depression and heart disease.