Despite the countless billions invested each year in diet, nutrition, exercise, and other wellness routines (and let’s not even touch on overall medical expenses), relatively little attention is paid to the impact of personality on health. We might want to rethink that particular disconnect.

Because as it turns out, there is a growing body of research drawing direct connections between certain personality traits and people’s happiness, healthy, and overall wellbeing. In other words, the debate – if there ever was one – is over. Your personality plays a big role in your physical and cognitive health and science proves it.

Some examples:

A recent long-term study shows that people with structured, logistical mindsets suffer from far lower rates of cognitive decline and dementia. People with these personality types also demonstrated a capacity to recover from moderate levels of cognitive impairment. Not surprisingly, the same study showed that people with more reactive, volatile personality types were more likely to suffer from – and remain with – cognitive decline.

A study out of Australia reveals that people who score high on one or more of the following facets of personality are likely to experience high levels of wellbeing across multiple aspects of their lives: enthusiasm, industriousness, compassion, intellectual curiosity, and low levels of withdrawal.

A longer-term study of twins found that enthusiastic, outgoing types and industrious, orderly personalities were both linked to higher levels of wellbeing. The authors believed social types enjoy larger social networks which, in turn, can help reduce feelings of loneliness and stress, which more logistical types are not only structured with their work but also their healthy living routines.

A Dutch study found that more than any other trait, emotional stability was directly related to greater levels of happiness and wellbeing. The team also echoed the results of other studies, showing that highly structured, logistical types far better professionally, while people with more enthusiastic, gregarious personalities enjoy stronger social connections and the peace of mind that come with them.

The bottom line: personality can have an enormously important impact on one’s health. If your Big 5 scores don’t align with those health-positive traits? Time to make some adjustments so you too can live a happier, healthier life.