Hence, neuroticism may sometimes have positive consequences for one s health. However, neuroticism poses problems for the health care system. A large number of individuals seek medical care for somatic complaints that seem to be unrelated to any disease. This behavior is a burden for the health care system. Not surprisingly, an extensive literature has examined the relation between objective health and health perceptions.
Illness leads to higher levels of negative mood, which leads to higher scores on neuroticism.
That is, diseases may change an individuals personality. As a consequence, neurotic individuals report more symptoms subjectively , but there are not unhealthier objectively . We may call this hypothesis the George hypothesis. The authors examined these hypotheses in two major areas of health psychology, namely cancer and coronary diseases. Watson and Pennebaker conducted a study with university employees.