A New Look at Neuroticism: Should We Worry So Much About Worrying?

People with higher levels of neuroticism seem to have drawn the short straw of personality. However, there are multiple ways to score highly in neuroticism. Analyses of the short scale of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised in three large data sets have revealed that higher neuroticism can mean having elevated scores on all items, elevated scores mainly on items related to anxiety and tension, or elevated scores mainly on items related to worry and vulnerability. Epidemiological and molecular genetic studies have revealed that people in the first group are at greater risk for poorer mental and physical health but that people in the latter two groups, especially those beset by worry and feelings of vulnerability, have better physical health. These findings suggest that future research on neuroticism and health should focus on different ways that people can exhibit high neuroticism.