Dataset Information

Associations between loneliness and personality are mostly driven by a genetic association with Neuroticism.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Loneliness is an aversive response to a discrepancy between desired and actual social relationships and correlates with personality. We investigate the relationship of loneliness and personality in twin family and molecular genetic data.

Method

Phenotypic correlations between loneliness and the Big Five personality traits were estimated in 29,625 adults, and in a group with genome-wide genotype data (N = 4,222), genetic correlations were obtained. We explored whether genetic correlations may reflect causal relationships by investigating within monozygotic twin pair differences (N_pairs = 2,662), by longitudinal within-subject changes in personality and loneliness (N = 4,260-9,238 longitudinal comparisons), and by longitudinal cross-lagged panel analyses (N = 15,628). Finally, we tested whether genetic correlations were due to cross-trait assortative mating (N_{spouse pairs} = 4,436).

Results

The strongest correlations with loneliness were observed for Neuroticism (r = .55) and Extraversion (r = -.33). Only Neuroticism showed a high correlation with loneliness independent of other personality traits (r = .50), so follow-up analyses focused on Neuroticism. The genetic correlation between loneliness and Neuroticism from genotyped variants was .71; a significant reciprocal causal relationship and nonsignificant cross-trait assortative mating imply that this is at least partly due to mediated pleiotropy.

Conclusions

We show that the relationship between loneliness and personality is largely explained by its relationship with Neuroticism, which is substantially genetic in nature.

SUBMITTER: Abdellaoui A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6231981 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Associations between loneliness and personality are mostly driven by a genetic association with Neuroticism.

Abdellaoui Abdel A Chen Hsi-Yuan HY Willemsen Gonneke G Ehli Erik A EA Davies Gareth E GE Verweij Karin J H KJH Nivard Michel G MG de Geus Eco J C EJC Boomsma Dorret I DI Cacioppo John T JT

Journal of personality 20180802 2

<h4>Objective</h4>Loneliness is an aversive response to a discrepancy between desired and actual social relationships and correlates with personality. We investigate the relationship of loneliness and personality in twin family and molecular genetic data.<h4>Method</h4>Phenotypic correlations between loneliness and the Big Five personality traits were estimated in 29,625 adults, and in a group with genome-wide genotype data (N = 4,222), genetic correlations were obtained. We explored whether gen ...[more]

PMID: 29752830

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Project description:BackgroundSeveral studies in the new field of cognitive epidemiology have shown that higher intelligence predicts longer lifespan. This positive correlation might arise from socioeconomic status influencing both intelligence and health; intelligence leading to better health behaviours; and/or some shared genetic factors influencing both intelligence and health. Distinguishing among these hypotheses is crucial for medicine and public health, but can only be accomplished by studying a genetically informative sample.MethodsWe analysed data from three genetically informative samples containing information on intelligence and mortality: Sample 1, 377 pairs of male veterans from the NAS-NRC US World War II Twin Registry; Sample 2, 246 pairs of twins from the Swedish Twin Registry; and Sample 3, 784 pairs of twins from the Danish Twin Registry. The age at which intelligence was measured differed between the samples. We used three methods of genetic analysis to examine the relationship between intelligence and lifespan: we calculated the proportion of the more intelligent twins who outlived their co-twin; we regressed within-twin-pair lifespan differences on within-twin-pair intelligence differences; and we used the resulting regression coefficients to model the additive genetic covariance. We conducted a meta-analysis of the regression coefficients across the three samples.ResultsThe combined (and all three individual samples) showed a small positive phenotypic correlation between intelligence and lifespan. In the combined sample observed r = .12 (95% confidence interval .06 to .18). The additive genetic covariance model supported a genetic relationship between intelligence and lifespan. In the combined sample the genetic contribution to the covariance was 95%; in the US study, 84%; in the Swedish study, 86%, and in the Danish study, 85%.ConclusionsThe finding of common genetic effects between lifespan and intelligence has important implications for public health, and for those interested in the genetics of intelligence, lifespan or inequalities in health outcomes including lifespan.

Dataset Information

Associations between loneliness and personality are mostly driven by a genetic association with Neuroticism.

Objective

Method

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Associations between loneliness and personality are mostly driven by a genetic association with Neuroticism.

Similar Datasets

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