The relationship between cancer and personality traits is a frequent subject of conjecture. A scientific article that was published in July 2010, generated consumer articles since then, stating that there is no relation between cancer and personality. Concerned by the quality of information in circulation, I felt it important to go back to the original article in the American Journal of Epidemiology and see what the Finnish and Swedish authors really said. The study included nearly 60k participants, who were followed over a 30 year period, during which several thousand cancers were identified and certain participants died. The study is the most significant to examine this question, in terms of size and duration.
The participants had responded to a personality questionnaire, enabling the identification of two profiles: extraversion and neurosis. Neither extraversion nor neurosis was associated with risk of cancer or death from cancer. Does this mean that there is no link whatsoever between personality traits and cancer? That is not what the article says. This study showed no link between extraversion and neurosis, but they do not cover the entire spectrum of the personality...that probably does not exist. When general interest health articles link back to an original study, it's wise to consult the study abstract.
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