Personality, weight go together

We didn't need another excuse. News flash: If you're cyclically overweight, your personality may be to blame. Are you neurotic and not very conscientious? Your weight likely has and will fluctuate between gain-lose cycles throughout life. Impulsive or disorganized? Temptation dominates the battle. Are you conscientious and careful, self-restraining, a little Type-A? Your weight is probably pretty healthy on a consistent basis. A worry wart? You're the yo-yo dieter.

Such are the results of 50 years of accumulated data, analyzed by the National Institute on Aging and published late this summer by the American Psychological Association. That's not a popular finding among health experts, who have pointed to cheap and readily available junk food, sedentary work, poor exercise habits, and stress to explain the nation's growing waistline. All still valid, but personality apparently ranks highest, at least for 1,800 relatively healthy men and women (most college-educated) in mid-life, to the tune of an extra 22 pounds. When you think about it, this isn't surprising. Impulsive people are more likely to go for the extra doughnut or margarita. Conscientious types stick with routines like exercise and diet.

Less predictable is the competition factor. Researchers also found that highly competitive, antagonistic, or cynical people were more prone to weight gain, perhaps due to stress levels associated with such emotions. Another surprising result was that personality shifts (such as episodic depression) did not predictably precede major weight gains. So does this exonerate people from trying? No dice. Like other self discoveries, it's useful information. Understanding is a tool to better anticipate, then modify, behavior and reactions. Recognizing patterns makes it easier to plan different reactions, and establish control. Extroverts tend to lose more weight with groups; introverts do better on their own. Impulsive people can establish regular eating schedules with pre-planned choices, so they're not hungry when impulse strikes.

"Self-knowledge is the great power by which we comprehend and control our lives." - Author and spiritualist, Vernon Howard Sholeh Patrick is a columnist with the Hagadone News Network and has a few extra pounds. Email [email protected]