Where your DNA places you among other people, and the studies behind it.
Not tailored to your result, and not medical advice
Practice Mindfulness and Emotional Regulation: Mindfulness practice is associated with lower emotional reactivity, the tendency that sits at the heart of neuroticism. Reviews link regular practice to better regulation of negative emotions and reduced amygdala reactivity to stressful stimuli. A short daily routine (10-20 minutes), with or without a structured app, is a reasonable starting point. Frontiers in Psychology
Engage in Regular Aerobic Exercise: Regular physical activity is associated with greater emotional resilience to acute stress and a smaller stress response in fit individuals. Consistent aerobic exercise (around 30 minutes, several times per week) supports stress regulation and is a low-cost habit that benefits mood and general health. Frontiers in Physiology
Develop Cognitive Reappraisal Skills: Cognitive reappraisal, the skill of reinterpreting a stressful situation in a less threatening way, is a well-studied emotion-regulation strategy that helps lower negative affect. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) teaches it systematically, and practising it independently may help reduce day-to-day emotional reactivity. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience
Build Supportive Relationships: Social support appears to buffer the link between neuroticism and depressive symptoms, partly by encouraging more positive coping. Relationships built on trust and reliability can ease stress and support emotional regulation, so investing in a few dependable connections is worthwhile. Frontiers in Psychiatry
Prioritize Sleep and Recovery: Poor sleep amplifies emotional reactivity and negative mood, which overlap with the experience of neuroticism. Studies link sleep loss to increased amygdala reactivity and weaker prefrontal regulation of emotion. Aiming for consistent, sufficient sleep (about 7-9 hours) and addressing insomnia early supports emotional stability. Psychosomatic Medicine
How much of this is genetic?
Genetics explains 45% of why people differ in this trait. The rest is environment, daily habits and chance.
Heritability estimate: Vukasovic & Bratko 2015, Psychol Bull
Background and further reading
Neuroticism is one of the Big Five personality dimensions, describing how readily a person experiences negative emotions such as anxiety, sadness, and irritability in response to stress [1]. People who score higher tend to react more strongly to perceived threats and take longer to return to an emotional baseline after a distressing event. Neuroticism is a normal dimension of personality rather than a disorder, but where someone falls on it is statistically associated with later mental and physical health: across studies it is among the most consistent personality predictors of depression, anxiety, and lower subjective wellbeing [4]. These are population-level associations and do not determine any individual's outcome.
Genetic Basis: Twin studies estimate the heritability of neuroticism at roughly 40-50%, similar to the other Big Five traits [3]. Neuroticism is highly polygenic, meaning many common variants each contribute a small amount. A meta-analysis of 449,484 people identified 136 independent genetic loci (124 of them new at the time) and implicated genes active in neurogenesis and in dopaminergic, serotonergic, and other neuronal cell types [2]. A separate UK Biobank study found 116 associated variants and reported a strong genetic correlation with depressive symptoms (rg around 0.82) and major depression (rg around 0.69), alongside a negative correlation with subjective wellbeing [5]. Common variants captured by current scores explain only a modest share of the variation (SNP-based heritability around 6-15%), so a polygenic score reflects part of the genetic signal, not a person's destiny [5].
Environmental Factors: Because twin-based heritability is around 40-50%, the remaining variation is attributed to environment and life experience [3]. Adverse childhood experiences, chronic stress, and difficult life circumstances are associated with higher neuroticism, while supportive relationships, coping skills, and a sense of security are associated with lower scores [4]. Neuroticism is not fixed: on average it declines gradually across adulthood, a pattern researchers call personality maturation, which suggests that experience and environment continue to shape this trait throughout life [1].
The published research behind your score, and the variants it draws on.
10 published scores from 4 studies
The neuroticism score combines 10 polygenic scores drawn from 4 published studies.
Lahey BB. Public health significance of neuroticism. American Psychologist (2009)
These traits are influenced by some of the same genes and variants as this one
Anxiety: A tendency toward generalized anxiety, chronic worry, and heightened sensitivity to stress.
Insomnia: Chronic difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or achieving restorative sleep.
Content updated August 2026.
ReadYourDNA provides educational interpretation of DNA data you already have. It is not diagnostic, not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Talk to a clinician before acting on any result.
Raw DNA Data Reports for 23andMe & AncestryDNA · About ReadYourDNA · FAQ · Methodology & Science · Pricing · Support and complaints · Legal & Contact · Health Traits · Pharmacogenomics · Carrier Status · Variant Explorer · The Human Karyotype · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service · Accessibility · Consumer Health Data Privacy · Your Privacy Choices · Editorial Standards · Your Data, Checkable · Sample Report · ReadYourDNA and Promethease compared · What is inside a 23andMe raw data file · What is inside an AncestryDNA raw data file · What a chatbot can and cannot do with your raw DNA file · Where a raw DNA file can still be uploaded in 2026
Written, maintained and operated by Martin Pechhacker, sole proprietor, Vienna, Austria. Trade register GISA 40064420. support@readyourdna.com