Many professionals believe that the use of a personality test can predict whether an individual would be a good employee or a successful athlete. However, recent studies have shown that personality tests can also indicate the health of an individual.

For example, a new study by researchers from the National Institute on Aging used 50 years of information to prove that certain personality characteristics can affect a person's weight. These researchers analyzed data from 1,988 people in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. All of these participants completed a personality test and were then weighed and measured over the 50-year period.

The results indicated that individuals who were shown to be impulsive on a personality test were more likely to be overweight than others. Researchers believe that this is because these people are more likely to give into temptation when it comes to unhealthy food choices. Similarly, impulsive individuals may be prone to participate in risky behaviors associated with weight gain, such as binge eating and drinking alcohol.

Additionally, the analysis of the data indicated that individuals who had high levels of neuroticism and low levels of conscientiousness often became stuck in cycles of consistent weight gain and weight loss.

However, people who are not conscientious may face more than just weight issues. According to Time Magazine, decades of studies have indicated that individuals who are not conscientious may be more likely to develop problems such as high blood pressure, strokes, diabetes, bone issues, tuberculosis, hernias, sciatica and Alzheimer's.

In one of these studies, researchers asked parents and teachers to determine whether or not a group of 12-year-olds were conscientious. Then, 64 years later, the researchers figured out which children were still alive and which were not. Their results indicated that the kids who were described as being conscientious when they were young were more likely to be alive decades later than those who were not.

Other researchers have found links between various personality types and health. Michael Miller, the editor in chief of the Harvard Mental Health Letter told U.S. News and World report that individuals who are more relaxed may have a better quality of life. People who are shown to be relaxed on a personality test can generally handle stress well and may have lower risks of developing stress-related issues such as heart disease and gastrointestinal problems, he said.

People who are outgoing may also have longer lives than those who are not. The news source cites a study published in Perspectives in Psychological Science, which indicates that individuals who have social support systems tend to have less stress and stronger immune systems than those who do not have a close network of friends.

Additionally, studies have been done to see how optimism and pessimism can affect people's health, the news source states. A study from Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health tracked more than 500 males during a 15-year time period. In doing so, the researchers found that optimists were half as likely to suffer from heart-related deaths than pessimists. Researchers believe that this has to do with the way optimists tend to manage stress.

Still, researchers from this study note that extreme optimists may be likely to face health risks. These individuals may overlook negative outcomes due to risks, believing that it will never happen to them. For instance, a very optimistic binge drinker may feel that their drinking will never cause them to get in a car accident or fall into a fatal blackout. They would prefer to think about more positive things, the media outlet states.