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Effect of month of birth on personality traits of healthy Japanese

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

Mitsuhiro Kamata*
Affiliation:
Health Administration Center, Yamagata University, 1-4-12 Kojirakawa-machi, Yamagata990-8560, Japan
Akihito Suzuki
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Yamagata University School of Medicine, 2-2-2 Iida-nishi, Yamagata990-9585, Japan
Yoshihiko Matsumoto
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Yamagata University School of Medicine, 2-2-2 Iida-nishi, Yamagata990-9585, Japan
Hitoshi Togashi
Affiliation:
Health Administration Center, Yamagata University, 1-4-12 Kojirakawa-machi, Yamagata990-8560, Japan
Koichi Otani
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Yamagata University School of Medicine, 2-2-2 Iida-nishi, Yamagata990-9585, Japan
*
*Corresponding author. Tel./fax: +81 23 628 4152. E-mail address: mkamata@med.id.yamagata-u.ac.jp
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Abstract

The effect of month of birth on personality traits was investigated in 595 healthy Japanese. Personality traits were evaluated by the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Statistical analyses were conducted in two steps. Firstly, months of the year were divided according to ambient temperature or photoperiod, and TCI scores were compared between month groups by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with age as a covariate. Secondly, multiple regression analysis was performed with TCI scores as dependent variables and ambient temperature and photoperiod at birth month and age as independent variables. Both analyses showed that higher ambient temperature at birth month was related to higher scores of self-directedness and persistence in females. Also, higher ambient temperature at birth month was related to lower body mass index (BMI) in females. These results suggest that month of birth affects self-directedness and persistence in healthy Japanese females, and these effects may be mediated by BMI changes associated with ambient temperature at birth month.

Type
Original article
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier Masson SAS 2009

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