You do your fair share of household chores. You show up for meetings as scheduled. You deliver work on time. You put in effort and wait patiently for results. Personality traits like organization, reliability, competence, or deliberation might make you more trustworthy or employable. Can they contribute to a longer, healthier life?

A University of California Riverside study published in a journal of the American Psychological Association has found a link between conscientious personality traits and longevity.

Data on more than 8,900 participants in 20 studies from the United States, Canada, Germany, Norway, Japan, and Sweden were reviewed by researchers Margaret Kern and Howard Friedman.

The researchers looked at three facets of conscientiousness: responsibility (self-controlled, not impulsive), order (organized, disciplined), and achievement (persistent, industrious).  Kern and Friedman found people who are highly conscientious tend to make better health choices and live up to four years longer than impulsive types.

Not quite other-oriented or disciplined? You can still get it together. Kern suggests that people can become more conscientious with a stable job, marriage, or partnership.