According to psychology professor, Patrick Hill, the personality traits of optimism, friendliness, and conscientiousness contribute to longevity (https://www.gwern.net/docs/conscientiousness/2011-hill.pdf (Links to an external site.)). A study of hundreds of hundred-year-old people found that they were more easygoing than the general population (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3384436/) (Links to an external site.). Friendliness is another characteristic of longevity (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3259159/ (Links to an external site.)). People who are friendly live longer. Conscientiousness is also linked to longevity. These people are detail-oriented and responsible, always want to do a good job, and are punctual.
Conscientiousness and optimism are covered in the text. Moreover, the trait of friendliness can be inferred from the discussion of good interpersonal skills in Chapter 1.
In a three-page paper, address the following four questions. Follow APA format, and use each question for a section heading.
What was your score on The Conscientiousness Quiz in the text? Does you score suggest that you will live at least 100 years?
Why would a person with a high degree of optimism make a better manager, sales representative, or coworker?
Why would a conscientious person live longer, as well as performing better on the job?
Imagine that you are the HR director at a large company. Why would it help the company to hire many employees who are optimistic, friendly, and conscientious?
Sample Solution
