IS HEALTHY NEUROTICISM ASSOCIATED WITH MORTALITY? EVIDENCE FROM A 14-STUDY COORDINATED ANALYSIS

Higher Neuroticism has been consistently linked to higher risk of mortality (Graham et al., 2017). However, several studies showed that, when combined with higher Conscientiousness, higher Neuroticism may in fact be linked to a lowered risk of poorer health, thus rendering the interaction between Neuroticism and Conscientiousness as “Healthy Neuroticism”. Here, we aim to establish the replicability of Healthy Neuroticism in association with mortality. We conducted a coordinated integrative data analysis of 14 prospective cohorts, from 5 countries, with a combined N of nearly 100,000. Overall, there was weak support replicated across studies for higher levels of neuroticism being protective, in terms of mortality risk, when conscientiousness levels were also high. Ours is the first large-scale systematic effort to estimate replicability and generalizability of Healthy Neuroticism. We discuss implications for future research in the field of lifespan personality and health.