Possible Link Between Personality and Exercise Levels in Humans

According to a new scientific study, there may be a link between a person’s personality characteristics and their level of energy expenditure. It is a generally accepted truth that some people are inherently more drawn to being very active, while others are content with being extremely inactive. This is the difference between a “jock” and a “couch potato”. It has been discovered that there is a possible correlation between a human’s rate of metabolism and personality traits. When a group of mice were placed in captivity with an unlimited food supply, certain mice engaged in more energetic behavior, despite the lack of need to actively search for food. The mice with the higher metabolisms were more likely to spend time moving around and running on wheels than those with a lower metabolism, suggesting that the behavior may be related to the animal’s metabolic capacity.

Also, a link was found between metabolism and aggression levels. Those individuals who have a faster metabolic rate tend to be more dominant and aggressive than those with a slower rate. This suggests that the stereotypical “jock” personality may partially be related to the increase in physical exertion. This would explain why people who are sedentary tend to be more shy and submissive, while those who are consistently active seem to be more social and aggressive, in general. While this study is not conclusive, it seems that research in this area would be worthwhile.

Source: University of New South Wales. "Personality and Exercise Levels May Be Linked -- Not Just in Humans, but Other Animals Too." ScienceDaily 13 October 2010. 13 October 2010 .

Abi Hueske, VTPP 434-502