The personality of centenarians

Blowing out more than 100 candles on a birthday cake is no longer unusual. According to the UN Population Division, 621,000 people had crossed the triple-digit threshold in 2021, up from just 92,000 in 1990.

Spain, where our research is conducted, is precisely one of the countries with the highest number of centenarians in the world: 19,639, according to the latest data from the National Institute of Statistics. Of these, 77% are women.

Within this population, our research team has studied the characteristics of those who reached this age in a healthy manner . This means not showing signs of cognitive decline and enjoying reasonable physical autonomy, as this privileged group can provide certain clues about how to age healthily.

Genetic and lifestyle factors are highly relevant to achieving extreme longevity, but what about psychological factors? Research shows that people who experience more positive emotions and are more satisfied with their lives are more likely to live longer.

Additionally, psychological resources (optimism, resilience, self-esteem, etc.) are not only the ingredients that nourish psychological well-being, but also contribute to mental and physical health.

In a recent study , we asked whether healthy centenarians actually possess psychological resources or positive personality traits that could have helped them more successfully cope with the traumatic situations, difficulties, and challenges that such a long life presents.

To answer this question, we conducted in-depth interviews with 19 healthy individuals between the ages of 100 and 107 (16 of whom were women). We found that centenarians shared 19 psychological resources, which we grouped into eight categories . Here are some representative testimonials:

1) Vitality: The interviewees are active and participative people, engaged in life and with a clear will to continue living. Some had worked until very old age and, today, remain physically and intellectually active.

2) A love of interaction: They are characterized by their sociability. They feel loved by those around them and have helped others whenever possible throughout their lives.

3) Commitment: They have been responsible, competent, hardworking, valued, loved, and honest people. They persevered to achieve their goals.

4) Control: They have taken control of their lives, showing autonomy and knowing how to find opportunities.

5) Intellectual motivation: These are curious people who value culture and are motivated to learn. In many cases, they are indefatigable readers.

6) Positivity: They show gratitude and are able to enjoy the small things.

7) Resilience: Despite the difficulties (difficult childhoods, loss of loved ones, war, COVID-19, etc.), they have managed to move forward with their lives and, in some cases, redirect them. Above all, they have not been psychologically damaged by the experience of adversity.

8) Intelligence: They have taken on challenges for which they had no specific training and have successfully overcome them. They love to learn and are curious. Their conversation is quick and agile, and they have a good memory. They know how to read and write—some without having gone to school—and have directed their lives toward paths that satisfy them.

(*) Professor of Differential Psychology and Psychological Well-being and Occupational Health, Complutense University of Madrid.

(**) The Conversation, a non-profit organization that seeks to share ideas and scholarly knowledge with the public. This article is reproduced here under a Creative Commons license. This is an edited version of the original article.