 773
Although some threats to a person’s life and 
health are truly random, many of the risks 
are a function of biopsychosocial character -
istics of the individual. In principle, anyone 
may contract the flu or suffer a myocardial 
infarction, but individuals vary greatly in the 
likelihood that they will achieve good health 
and longevity; that is, there is astonishing 
variation in whether one is vulnerable to 
disease, and whether one is likely to recover 
quickly from any diseases that take hold. 
A person does not contract the flu without 
exposure to an influenza virus, but persons 
vary tremendously as to whether they are 
exposed to the virus, whether they are in -
fected after exposure, and how they respond 
to the illness if infected. In other words, un -
derstanding the likelihood of disease for the 
individual is often as important as knowing 
the general causes of disease. Much of this 
variation can be captured by concepts that 
encapsulate the biopsychosocial nature of 
the individual across time, namely, contem -
porary concepts of personality. The most 
modern concepts from personality psychol -
ogy help reveal why some individuals are 
more prone to illness and premature mor -
tality, while others are more likely to thrive 
across the years.In developed countries, there is relatively 
little serious chronic disease or premature 
mortality from disease between about ages 
25 and 45; most individuals remain healthy 
or recover quickly, so there is relatively little 
variation. However, an exponential rise in 
risk across the years (that begins to show 
itself more clearly in middle age) means 
that most people will have developed a seri -
ous disease by about age 80, and half will 
be deceased. Contrary to popular belief in 
genetic determinism of longevity, less than 
one-third of this variation is genetic; more 
than half arises from experiential, behav -
ioral, and sociocultural factors (Friedman 
& Kern, 2014). These interacting factors 
are the purview of lifespan personality 
psychology. Bringing a lifespan personal -
ity perspective to the field of health is thus 
a game-  changer. It throws down a series of 
challenges to the old models of individual 
differences in health. Personality develops 
across the lifespan (with person–  situation 
interactions through the years), often in 
concert with health status changes over the 
lifespan. Most chronic illnesses take years to 
develop, and although some acute infections 
can overwhelm the body within days, these 
also usually depend on the individual’s pre -CHAPTER 37
Personality and Health
A Lifespan Perspective
Howard S. Friedman  
Sarah  E. Hampson