Extroverts are Happier and Healthier Later in Life

A person's outlook on life has been shown to affect everything from heart health, to how quickly they recover from illnesses, to life expectancy. New research shows one way such a positive outlook can be cultivated: by being extroverted. The British study followed 4,583 people who were born in England, Scotland or Wales during the same week in March of 1946. When they reached age 16, and again at age 26, these participants filled out a survey to assess two aspects of their personalities: extroversion and neuroticism. The questions about extroversion focused on a person's energy level, whether or not that person was likely to participate in activities, and how social he or she was. Neuroticism-related questions looked at mood, emotional stability and how easily a person got distracted. In general, extroverts tend to be outgoing, curious and close to others whereas neurotic types tend to distance themselves from others, ...