Being conscientious has some truly unexpected pros and cons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re not one, you probably know one: conscientious people are never late, they\u2019re organized, and their word is their bond. They do things<\/a> the \u201cright\u201d way. They like things in order. And they have a strong, nearly unbreakable sense of right and wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They\u2019re often good people. Very<\/em> good. It\u2019s hard to imagine there could be a downside to this personality<\/a> type. But new research<\/a> indicates there\u2019s a little more to it than meets the eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A recent study<\/a> out of the University of Galway aimed to find out how personality traits affect the way we experience emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Researchers began by measuring participants using a Five-Factor Model, which breaks personality into five key dimensions: Openness to Experience, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, and Conscientiousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then they exposed the volunteers to several video clips which were each designed to elicit a specific emotion: anger, disgust, fear, joy, sadness, and surprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Interestingly, the clip the team chose to elicit joy was none other than the famous diner scene from When Harry Met Sally<\/em>: a comedy classic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People who scored high in conscientiousness were among the only group to react negatively to finding the scene funny or enjoyable. It did not trigger nearly as much joy in this group as it did for the others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The research team theorized that, with such a powerful correlation, it was relatively safe to say that extremely orderly, structured, and conscientious people may have a lower capacity for experiencing spontaneous joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s the tradeoff: while highly conscientious people laughed less and felt less joyful during the comedy scene, they also reacted less powerfully to the scene that primarily stimulated sadness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What scene was that? The Lion King<\/em>, of course. You know the one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The findings suggest that, perhaps, living a structured and highly-orderly life can protect against negative emotions\u2014even at the cost of some of the good ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Think about it. Imagine a person who never misses a deadline, forgets to pay a bill, or runs a red light. They\u2019re never in trouble. People don\u2019t get angry at them. They don\u2019t wind up on probation at work or, worse, in jail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow people structure their environment may be a key shield from experiencing sadness, which may represent a significant motivator for people high in orderliness if they are sensitive to this emotion,\u201d the researchers wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If that doesn\u2019t sound like a worthwhile tradeoff, another recent study builds on these findings and explores even more of the upside to living a conscientious life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Psychology Today<\/em><\/a> reveals details of another recent study<\/a> where, again, the Big Five personality dimensions were used to sort people into buckets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Researchers out of KU Leuven found that highly conscientious people were among those most likely experience a \u201cflow state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Flow is a mental state where you become completely immersed in your work, to the point that you don\u2019t even notice the passage of time. It\u2019s sometimes known as being \u201cin the zone,\u201d a state of effortless momentum<\/a>, and generally people find it to be an enjoyable and deeply meaningful feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe characteristics of Conscientious individuals are essential for maintaining focus, managing challenges, and regulating efforts toward meaningful tasks,\u201d the study\u2019s authors write.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Psychology Today<\/em> sums up the cutting-edge research: \u201cBeing dutiful, organized, and especially orderly may have its limitations, at least in terms of joy. However, there is the advantage of being less likely to get into the type of trouble that would trigger negative emotions. Then there is the upside of being able to bury yourself in your daily tasks to the point of not becoming bored or finding them useless.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n One bummer for conscientious people: being structured and organized to the point that you\u2019re less joyful and less likely to laugh at something funny might make you less likable overall. But, you probably won\u2019t care: further research suggests conscientious people live longer<\/a> and stay sharper and healthier into old age better than their peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNew research reveals the costs of being too \u201cgood\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
But there\u2019s still a powerful upside to being conscientious<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGood\u201d people excel at finding meaning and satisfaction in their work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n