The article reviews a wide range of recent research into these questions and concludes that there is now enough evidence to suggest a link between an individual’s personality and the rate of its metabolism – the chemical process that converts food into the energy that fuels the body.
“Recent research suggests that this behavior might be related to an individual’s capacity to generate energy – its ‘metabolic capacity’.For example, mice in isolation that have high metabolism tend spend more time on running wheels, and run faster, than those with low metabolism.
Metabolism and aggression are also linked. It has now been documented, for example, in several species of fish and birds that individuals with high metabolism tend to be more aggressive and dominant over those with slow metabolism.
The amount of energy devoted to energetically demanding activities differs among individuals, Dr Biro says. These differences in energetic capacity – along with the tendency for metabolism to be consistent over long periods – might provide a very general explanation for personality in animals.
“It may just be that some individuals generate much more energy than others and when those individuals are captive with abundant food, they must outlet ‘excess’ energy that is normally expressed in nature in activities such as feeding and defense of food supplies.
“We are still some ways from a really solid understanding of the links between metabolism and personality in animals, but recent research suggests these ideas have merit and are worth studying further.”
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