Personality influences a broad range of health outcomes and mechanisms. Second, the simple descriptive account of Aim 1 is not sufficient, and a theoretical specification needs to be developed to explain the personality-health link and allow for future hypothesis generation. Third, once Aims 1 and 2 are met, it is necessary to demonstrate the clinical utility of personality. In this review I MAKE the case that all three Aims are met. I develop a theoretical framework to understand the links between personality and health drawing on current theorising in the biology, evolution, and neuroscience of personality. I identify traits (i.e., alexithymia, Type D, hypochondriasis, and EMPATHY) that are of particular concern to health psychology and set these within evolutionary cost-benefit analysis. The literature is reviewed within a three-level hierarchical model (individual, group, and organisational) and it is argued that health psychology needs to move from its traditional focus on the individual level to engage group and organisational levels.

Keywords: personality, evolution, diagnosis

When EXPOSED to the same health threat people respond differently: psychologically, behaviourally, physiologically, and ULTIMATELY in terms of prognosis and mortality. EXPLAINING this variability is of central importance for medicine and health psychology, in terms of diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Personality theory offers a coherent conceptual framework to help explain some of this variabilit