The researchers believe that the positive personality traits may in part be genetically-based. The study was part of the Longevity Genes Project investigating more than 500 Ashkenazi Jews over the age of 95, and 700 of their offspring.
Nir Barzilai, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine's Institute for Aging Research in New York, said: "We found qualities that clearly reflect a positive attitude towards life." Most centenarians tested were outgoing, optimistic and easygoing. According to Daily Mail, tests showed that the study group had lower "neurotic personality" scores than a representative sample of the general population, while also scoring higher for being conscientious. "They considered laughter an important part of life," Barzilai said, adding that they also had a large social network and expressed emotions openly rather than bottling them up.
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