Exercise Personality

December 2, 2009

IT TURNS OUT YOU CAN JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER, AT LEAST WHEN IT COMES TO WHETHER PEOPLE ARE GOING TO EXERCISE.

A NEW UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA STUDY SHOWS THAT YOUR PERSONALITY TYPE CAN DIRECTLY PREDICT HOW OFTEN YOU ENDURE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.

Heather Hausenblas/UF exercise researcher: “People’s personality, that’s ingrained in us, it’s part of who we are and what we do effects behavior such as physical activity.”

RESEARCHERS TOOK A LOOK AT FIVE KEY PERSONALITY TRAITS: EXTROVERSION, NEUROTICISM, OPENNESS, AGREEABLENESS AND CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THOSE WHO SCORE HIGH ON CONSCIENTIOUSNESS AND EXTROVERSION WORK OUT THE MOST AND THOSE WHO ARE MORE NEUROTIC TEND TO EXERCISE LESS.

Heather Hausenblas/UF exercise researcher: “So you can kind of pinpoint just by looking at somebody and figuring out what type of personality and get a good indication of whether they’re going to exercise or not.”

WHICH ALL SUGGESTS THAT IN THE RACE FOR GOOD HEALTH EXTROVERTS MAY HAVE A HEAD START.