In Praise of Squares

Boring personalities live longer.  It’s science.

From Culture 11:

[…]people who are highly conscientiousness live two to four years longer than those who are not.

They are, in a shibboleth of yesteryear, squares. Or, in other outmoded words: bourgeois, backwards, middle-brow, mainstream, uncool, unhip, traditional, prosaic, prim, reactionary, lame, prudes, prigs, tools, dullards, drudges, followers, and functionaries. Some old words may have lost their bite. […]

The solution for becoming conscientious is surprising, and for socially conservative readers, welcome. To become more conscientious, grow up. Research shows that getting married, holding a steady job, and joining a strong local community help improve one’s self control. By investing in conventional social roles, or “buying into society’s desires,” Roberts says, people naturally grow more orderly, responsible, and efficacious.