This Is The Personality Trait That Most Often Predicts Success

[FarCenter]

The only major personality trait that consistently leads to success is conscientiousness.

"It's emerging as one of the primary dimensions of successful functioning across the lifespan," Paul Tough writes in "How Children Succeed." "It really goes cradle to grave in terms of how people do."

Tough says that people who test high in conscientiousness get better grades in school and college, commit fewer crimes, and stay married longer.

They live longer, too, he says. And not just because they smoke and drink less. They have fewer strokes, lower blood pressure, and a lower incidence of Alzheimer's disease.

There's a staggering amount of research linking conscientiousness with success. A National Institute of Mental Health study found that conscientious men earn higher salaries. The National Institute on Aging also found that conscientiousness is linked to income and job satisfaction. Other studies show that conscientiousness is the most important factor for finding and retaining employment.

How do you know if you're conscientious? Conscientious people tend to be super organized, planful, and responsible. They work hard in the face of challenges and can control their impulses.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/conscientiousness-predicts-success-2014-4

Can schools teach conscientiousness?

[mercuryblues]

1. IDK

I do know several of my classes rendered me unconscious for the hour.

[yeoman6987]

33. I don't know about this study

Teachers get alzhimers at an alarming rate and I would think that they are pretty conscientious.

[yeoman6987]

34. The link to my teacher statement.

http://www.yourmedicaldetective.com/public/Five_Occupations_Linked_to_Alzheimers_and_Parkinsonaposs.cfm

[DirkGently]

2. Wait. I'd always heard innate sarcasm was the key to success?

No?

[FarCenter]

3. Only in comedy.

[DirkGently]

4. This explains a LOT!

[FarCenter]

5. And around here don't forget to tag sarcasm

You need to be conscientious about it.

[DirkGently]

6. Feels like explaining the joke though,

doesn't it?

[Scuba]

11. It does.

[Enrique]

7. conscientious is too hard to spell

they should just say anal.

[progressoid]

8. super organized, planful, responsible, and can control their impulses.

Hmmm...

[lumberjack_jeff]

9. When I was in 11th grade, I was a TA for an 8th grade english teacher.

That June I asked him to sign my yearbook. In it, he wrote that I was the most conscientious person he'd ever met.

It was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.

[jberryhill]

10. I've known few unconscious successful people

[eppur_se_muova]

12. ...

http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1993/07/28/

[bettyellen]

13. well, poor impulse control leads to anti social behavior but not the kind of anti social

behavior that is rewarded- the planful organized kind.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

22. nice point.

True.

Also, it looks like the study focused on a traditional masculine role (at first glance, anyway. I need to read whole article. )

I wonder what the results would be if women in a traditional role were studied. I've seen so so so many case studies showing conscientious devotion to that role of "selfless mother" ending up poorly for the woman.

[bettyellen]

39. very interesting point you raised too....

[BlancheSplanchnik]

40. yeah...there's even a name for it.

codependence.

[ErikJ]

15. Neuroticism too?

" Psychologists classify conscientiousness is one of the "Big 5" personality traits, with the others being agreeableness, extroversion, neuroticism, and openness to experience. The other traits can predict certain workplace outcomes — extroversion is a great fit for highly social gigs like sales and openness to experience often leads to creativity — but conscientiousness is remarkable for the way it cuts across roles."

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/conscientiousness-predicts-success-2014-4#ixzz30OUoRSO2

[cprise]

16. How does overthrowing an oligarchy rate on the conscientiousness scale? n/t

[FailureToCommunicate]

18. Philip Stanhope sez...

[Tribalceltic]

19. It is at the top of my list

But I have not meet many successful ($) people who had a conscience.

[cprise]

23. Indeed. I don't think many billionaires were interviewed for this study.

Its more about following rules laid down within corporate fiefdoms. In this context, "impulse control" can be a euphemism for repression.

[hunter]

17. Conscientious "successful" people are destroying the planet.

What good will our own "success" be when eventually the human population crashes?

When our descendants are digging through the toxic ruins of our civilization they won't be thinking we were conscientious and successful. They'll be thinking we were possessed by some kind of evil insanity.

90% of what humans now do is destructive crap. Our twisted "work ethics" and definitions of "productivity" are going to kill us. Lazy Zonker Harris, experimenting with new breeds of cannabis is a better human than most of us.

Everyone ought to just chill out and go home. Read a book to the kids. Sing a song. Plant a garden. Live on the beach and surf. Practice birth control and have lots of safe sex. Most anything is better than so much of the work people do. Let's get rid of the coal mines, the fracking fields, the long automobile commutes to work...

It ought to be a felony to work more than twenty hours a week. It's a damn shame that our society isn't structured that way; instead most of us are brainwashed wage slaves and slave drivers supporting the lavish but pathetic lifestyles of billionaire scumbags like Donald Sterling, the Koch Brothers, Mitt Romney, etc., etc...

[ErikJ]

20. Environmental conscientiousness

is what we need more of. But its going to take active successful (conscientious) people to spread it and make it work.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

24. reproductive conscientiousness too.

Doesn't matter how sustainable we can make our technology....people still have an impact. Each human requires space, consumes, produces waste.... overpopulation is a critical part of the equation.

[ErikJ]

28. best for that is Women's rights conscientiousness

The more equal women in a society the lower the birth rate.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

47. Yes! Quite so!

I'd love to see more "reality" teaching, too. Dismantle the societal assumption that motherhood is every woman's goal.

So many women (and some men too) have a romantic fantasy of a baby completing them, or fixing their marriage, or making their boyfriend stay, or getting them attention.....

[JI7]

37. someone posted about a guy who runs a sandwich shop that is sustainable yesterday

i think the article would mean people like that guy and not some corrupt whore who made a lot of money by cheating people on things like real estate, investments etc.

[madaboutharry]

21. I don't know.

I have seen a lot of coasters who are successful because they simultaneously know how to kiss ass while making themselves look like they're doing their job.

A lot of hard working and conscientious people struggle because their not ass kissers.

[FairWinds]

25. Yes, it can be taught . .

I tried hard in teaching at the university level to get across the idea of
doing quality work and getting it done on time . .
It worked for some at least . .
". . I am grateful that I was able to have you as a part of my [University] career. It was a little too easy to cruise through most of my other courses. You really made me work, and the skills I learned during your courses have been truly valuable to me as I continue my education."
But as is pointed out above, it can be carried to extremes . . obsessive compulsion, anorexia, etc.

[FarCenter]

35. I think that's right, particularly when teachers who were demanding also modeled conscientiousness

They were clear about what was to be studied, how to go about learning the material, and what exercises, problems, exams were to be done. Then a demand for a lot of quality work, done on time, drove learning.

[Ron Obvious]

26. I didn't know 'planful' was a word...

Does it mean full of plans (I know some real losers with those), or does it mean 'inclined to plan for the future'?

It's an ugly word regardless.

[Vashta Nerada]

27. I thought it would have been narcissism, sociopathy, and/or stupidity.

At least it is here in America.

[ErikJ]

29. What about Godliness?

Doin it fer God, guns and country.

[Vashta Nerada]

30. That would fall under sociopathy.

Saying/doing anything to get people to do things for you.

[raccoon]

32. You and me both. nt

[JI7]

38. if you think the only thing that matters is making a lot of money

[Vashta Nerada]

41. I am.

That's how success is measured in America.

[JI7]

42. but the OP includes other things also which would exclude a lot of big money types

[Vashta Nerada]

43. I know.

But I'm talking about what American society thinks success is measured by and that is by how much money one makes.

[JI7]

45. i have never cared for it and i am from an area full of these types

i view them as pathetic with their need to impress others they don't know.

[hughee99]

46. Let's be honest, while those traits seem to be common among the 1%,

they're not exactly rare in the 99% either.

[Tikki]

31. Update your resumes NOW….

First word, first line…last word, last line: Conscientious




Tikki

[JI7]

36. i think i am conscienctious but i'm not organized, planful, or always responsible

but i am aware of my flaws.

i'm guessing success in this case does not mean who makes the most money but an overall life of a person. so it could mean someone who is middle class and is able to afford what they need and a few other things would be considered someone more conscientous/sucessfull than some corrupt wealthy type without anyone who really cares about them(and not their money) in their life.

[FarCenter]

44. Author Paul Tough on his book "How Children Succeed"