Behavior , personality and disease : finding links .
Professor of Geriatrics Antonio Terracciano published an article in Biological Psychiatry describing how changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer ’ s disease are often visible early on in individuals with personality traits associated with the condition . That would be people who scored high in neuroticism ( a predisposition for negative emotions ) and low in conscientiousness ( a tendency to be careful , organized , goal-directed and responsible ).
Professor Angelina Sutin and Assistant Professor Martina Luchetti of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine and postdoctoral researcher Damaris Aschwanden were co-authors .
Terracciano is internationally recognized for expertise in the relationships between personality , health and aging . He was named a Fulbright Scholar in April 2020 and was invited to live , study and conduct research at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland . His fellowship research seeks to ascertain how maintaining physical activity , combined with strength and cognitive training , benefits older adults . The “ Fulbright award to Finland ” is a “ reflection of your leadership and contributions to society ,” the J . William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board told him . The 12-person selection board is appointed by the president and funded by Congress .
Luchetti and Angelina Sutin also published a comprehensive , nationwide study that looked at the effect of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders on feelings of loneliness . Researchers surveyed more than 2,000 people before and during stay-at-home orders and found that overall loneliness did not increase but instead , Americans showed resilience as people felt more supported by others than before the pandemic .
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The findings were part of an even larger study looking at potential changes in the “ big five ” personality traits — extraversion , neuroticism , openness to experience , agreeableness , and conscientiousness — as a result of the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U . S . Sutin and her team found stability in the personality traits despite lockdown measures .
Subsequent research into the same data set , the online Understanding America Study , showed that as the pandemic lingered , young adults appeared to experience personality changes . Sutin , Luchetti , Terraciano , Aschwanden , post-doctoral scholar Amanda A . Sesker and others found that young adults became moodier , more prone to stress , less cooperative and trusting , and less restrained and responsible . The oldest group of adults showed no statistically significant changes .
Sutin also was lead author on a study that showed a link between an individual ’ s sense of purpose and improved memory , particularly the ability to recall vivid details . Luchetti and Terracciano were co-authors . The study , which focused on memories related to the Covid-19 pandemic , was published in the journal Memory . “ Personal memories serve really important functions in everyday life ,” Sutin said . “ They help us to set goals , control emotions and build intimacy with others . We also know people with a greater sense of purpose perform better on objective memory tests , like remembering a list of words . We were interested in whether purpose was also associated with the quality of memories of important personal experiences because such qualities may be one reason why purpose is associated with better mental and physical health .”