The present work aims to replicate findings linking specific personality traits with Internet and Smartphone Use Disorder (IUD/SUD). Specifically, earlier research demonstrated that tendencies toward IUD and SUD are associated with high Neuroticism and both low Conscientiousness and low Agreeableness, while IUD (but not SUD) tendencies are negatively related to Extraversion and SUD (but not IUD) tendencies are negatively associated with Openness ( 1 ). In the aftermath of the replication crisis in psychology and related disciplines, it has become increasingly important to replicate findings in psychological research. Therefore, we revisited this earlier study by investigating (i) a sample from different countries and (ii) using different questionnaires to assess IUD, SUD and the Five Factor Model of Personality than the earlier work by Lachmann et al. ( 1 ). By applying such a design, we believe that replicating results from this earlier study hints toward generalizable associations being (largely) independent from that sample's specific cultural background and instrumentation. Importantly (iii) we used a larger sample consisting of N = 773 in the present study to have higher statistical power to observe the initially reported associations. Additionally, we investigated the role of impulsivity and social anxiety on IUD/SUD, further illuminating the nature of these potential new disorders. Indeed, we were able to reaffirm the aforementioned correlation patterns between personality and IUD/SUD in the present work to a large extent, with low Conscientiousness and high Neuroticism being most robustly associated with higher IUD/SUD. Furthermore, social anxiety and impulsivity showed positive correlations with IUD and SUD, as expected.

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Mounting evidence suggests meaningful relationships between personality and tendencies toward Internet Use Disorder (IUD), Smartphone Use Disorder (SmUD) and Social Networks Use Disorder (SNUD). Results of past research vary not only depending on methods applied, but also with respect to data and platforms investigated. With the present work, we aimed to examine links between objectively measured use of Twitter/Instagram and personality in a sample of N = 331 participants.We further investigated the relationship between actual social media usage and selfreported tendencies toward IUD/SmUD. We observed that active social media usage (number of posts) was negatively correlated with IUD/SmUD levels. Other users' reactions to one's posts (Likes and comments) on the other hand were positively associated with SmUD severity. Thus, our work contradicts the sometimes prevailing view that greater activity on social media in general predicts greater SmUD. Finally, we replicated most prior findings by showing that greater Extraversion, Conscientiousness, and Agreeableness were associated with more activity on social media (e.g. more posts on Twitter). Based on our results, some types of social media use seem to be beneficial to the individual and thus do not contribute to the development or maintenance of problematic tendencies in the context of social media applications.

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