‘Type A’ People Struggle With Being Happy

‘Type A’ People Struggle With Being Happy


If you have a "type A" personality, which includes traits such as irritability, hostility and impatience, you may be less satisfied with your life, according to a study.

Researchers asked 72 people to respond to 40 different hypothetical situations. Situations included a range of events, from being stuck in a traffic jam to having their barber cut off too much of their hair.

People who had more type A personality traits--the people who responded most negatively to the scenarios--reported that they had a lower quality of life than others.

In particular, participants who responded to the scenarios with the most anger, cynicism and hostility also saw their quality of life as far below that of their peers, according to researchers.

Quality of life was measured by participants’ responses to a questionnaire regarding their satisfaction with different areas of life, such as social belonging, competence and personal empowerment.

Researchers pointed out that the study doesn’t prove that having a type A personality causes a lower quality of life, as there could be other contributing factors.

Further, it is possible to change a type A personality using behavior modification and health management techniques. Such a change could potentially improve a person’s quality of life, according to researchers.