CPP Study Links Exercise Program Success to Personality-based Differences

According to study co-author John Hackston, Psychologist and Head of Thought Leadership at CPP, "Organizations can use these findings to help staff improve their fitness, with the goal of lower illness-related absences and increased employee satisfaction." Among its findings, the study showed that:

• In general, more creative people (particularly those who enjoy working with new ideas) are better suited to outdoor activities such as cycling and running, as opposed to exercising with a structured gym regimen
• People with a preference for objective logic are more likely to stick to a regimented exercise plan than those who view feelings and values as being more important

The study looked at how more than 800 people from a range of industries across several countries approach exercise. It presents a number valuable findings for today's employers, who have a vested interest in the health and wellness of their staff. Key findings from the research, presented recently by Hackston at the British Psychological Society's Division of Occupational Psychology annual conference in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK, showed that personality type influences people's inclinations toward:

Exercising at a gym, outside or at home
While those who prefer Introversion are equally inclined to exercise either at a gym or at home, 63 percent of those who prefer Extraversion prefer to work out at a gym (vs. 37 percent who'd rather exercise at home). And while both those who prefer Sensing and those who prefer Intuition are more inclined toward outdoor workouts, the difference is wider among those with Intuition preferences, who are almost twice as likely prefer to exercise outdoors (67 percent) vs. indoors (33 percent).

Structure and repetition...or variety and spontaneity
When it comes to variety in their workout, those with preferences for Perceiving  were more than ten percent more likely than those with preferences for Judging (78 percent vs. 66 percent) to prefer mixing it up over repetition. Those with Perceiving preferences were also 15 percent more likely than their Judging counterparts (77 percent vs. 61 percent) to prefer taking a diversity of routes when running, hiking or biking.

Choosing an instructor based on qualifications, or a personal relationship
When choosing a fitness instructor, those who prefer Thinking were about 12 percent more likely to make a decision based on qualifications/experience (vs. a personal relationship) than those who prefer Feeling (65 percent vs. 53 percent).

Socializing at the gym, or sticking to yourself
Not surprisingly, those who prefer Introversion were nearly 20 percent more likely to exercise alone than those who prefer Extraversion (who in fact tend to exercise more with others than alone, at 55 percent to 45 percent).

Similarly, when attending classes, those who prefer Introversion were 30 percent more likely to keep to themselves than those who prefer Extraversion (80 percent vs. 49 percent).

"For companies looking to improve the health of their employees, this research indicates that more successful wellness programs will likely be individualized," said co-author Dr. Rich Thompson, Divisional Director of Research, CPP, Inc. "While individuals may feel like they should follow popular or more established formulas, they're much more likely to succeed with an exercise plan that matches their personality type."

Read more about the findings in the Myers-Briggs Personality Type & Exercise blog.

About CPP–The Myers-Briggs® Company
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Contact:
Michael Burke
MSR Communications
[email protected]
415-989-9000

Melissa Summer
CPP, Inc.
[email protected]
650-691-9105

SOURCE CPP, Inc.

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