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International audienceWhy regularities in personality can be described with particular dimensions is a basicquestion in differential psychology. Nonhuman primates can also be characterized in terms ofpersonality structure. Comparative approaches can help reveal phylogenetic constraints andsocial and ecological patterns associated with the presence or absence of specific personalitydimensions. We sought to determine how different personality structures are related tointerspecific variation in social style. Specifically, we examined this question in six differentspecies of macaques, as macaque social style is well characterized and can be categorized ona spectrum of despotic (grade 1) versus tolerant (grade 4) social styles. We derivedpersonality structures from adjectival ratings of Japanese (Macaca fuscata; grade 1),Assamese (M. assamensis; grade 2), Barbary (M. sylvanus; grade 3), Tonkean (M. tonkeana;grade 4), and crested (M. nigra; grade 4) macaques and compared these species to rhesusmacaques (M. mulatta; grade 1) whose personality has previously been characterized. Using anon-parametric method, fuzzy set analysis, to identify commonalities in personalitydimensions across species, we found that all but one species exhibited consistently definedFriendliness and Openness dimensions, but that similarities in personality dimensionscapturing aggression and social competence reflect similarities in social styles. Thesefindings suggest that social and phylogenetic relationships contribute to the origin,maintenance, and diversification of personality

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