The Benefits Of Being A Conscientious Person

Merriam-Webster defines conscientious as 1) governed by or conforming to the dictates of one’s conscience, or 2) meticulous, careful.  A recent publication in the journal of Psychological Science has proven a link between having a spouse that is conscientious and your health.

On Being A Conscientious Person

Researchers have known for at least 15 years that people who are conscientious tend to live longer.  They report being happier, than their less conscientious counterparts.  They are more likely to exercise, and slower to engage in dangerous behaviors.  Looking at it based solely on merit, it would seem that most of us would strive toward being conscientious, yet of course that is not the case.  It makes one wonder about the influence of genetics on personality.  So what are the characteristics of a conscientious person?

The conscientious person is described on PTypes.com as exhibiting the following traits:

1. Hard working.  Capable of intense focus on a task, the conscientious person pursues their goals relentlessly.
2. Doing The Right Thing. Someone who is conscientious is guided by their beliefs.  Their beliefs become a bedrock on which their actions are based, and little will sway them from that course.
3. Doing Things The Right Way. The adage “a place for everything, and everything in its place” must have been coined by someone of conscience.  Words to live by.
4. Striving For Perfection.  Properly managed, a strength upon which many things can be built, the pursuit of perfection is a hallmark of a conscientious person.  Improperly managed, this can turn on you and leave you feeling as if you’re forever falling short of attaining your goals.
5. Stubborn.  Others use the term perseverance, let’s be honest here.  Arguing with a person of conscience can sometimes only cause them to dig in their heels.
6. Detail Oriented.  The conscientious person will generally go back and check to see if all the “i’s” are dotted and “t’s” are crossed.  They are the nerds that catalogue their family photos and create hand-made labels for their spice cabinets.
7. Prudent.  Decision must be carefully considered.  No reckless behavior here.

These are all traits that would be consistent with someone who avoids dangerous behaviors and will not put themselves at risk needlessly.  Now we know that these traits also spill over to benefit their partners.  In the first such study, spouses of conscientious people have been shown to get a “spill-over” benefit to their health as well.  The spouses of conscientious people report being happier in their relationships, and overall healthier.  Curiously enough, men with conscientious wives reported less benefit than the converse relationships.  No explanation was given for this observation.

It’s nice to know that my own little form of neurosis may have a positive impact on my loved ones.  Usually, we only hear the negative on this sort of thing.  Be warned about being conscientious though.  Each of these little traits has a dark side.

Do you consider yourself to be a conscientious person

?