How being organised and lively may help people to live longer

Being organised, active and helpful may not just make you a better person - it may even help you live longer.

- Amelia Hill

Being frequently stressed or moody could be linked to a shorter lifespan.

Researchers said their study, published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, could help doctors develop tools for predicting health risks - based not only on blood pressure and cholesterol but also on how someone tends to think, feel and behave.

Prof René Mõttus, a coauthor, said: “Rather than looking at broad, catchall personality types like ‘extroverted’ or ‘conscientious’, we zoomed in on individual descriptors: the precise ways people talked about themselves when filling out standardised personality questionnaires.”