Extraversion and Neuroticism in Relation to Well-Being – Do Some Social Categories and Personality Traits Modify the Connections Between Them?

Abstract

The theoretical assumptions and research findings have established some connections between extraversion/introversion, and neuroticism on the one hand, and well-being on the other hand. There is scarce scientific literature specifying these connections in different social categories or their possible modification in different levels of such personality traits as psychoticism and social desirability. The goal of the current study was to specify if the relationships between extraversion, neuroticism and well-being varied, according to gender, age, degree of manifestation of psychoticism and social desirability. The sample consisted of 470 Bulgarians from 18 to 55 years old using Bulgarian adaptation of Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and a dichotomized analogous scale measuring subjectively assessed well-being. This study found that higher well-being was related to higher extraversion and lower neuroticism, no matter of gender, age, or the degree of manifestation of other personality traits such as psychoticism and social desirability. Social isolation during COVID-19 pandemic may reflect negatively on well-being, as due to various constraints the extrovert people limit their social contacts and because of increased emotional lability in emergency situations that deserves further being investigated.

Psychological Variables Explaining the Students’ Self-Perceived Well-Being in University, During the Pandemic

“…A further explanation: openness to experience is associated with positive emotional moods ( Shiota et al, 2006 ), and consequently, a more positive attitude toward life. Therefore, even if the period of isolation in the pandemic was most intensely felt by extroverts ( Ivantchev and Stoyanova, 2021 ), the results of our study show that students with high levels of openness and personal autonomy have a positive attitude toward self, others, and student life.…”

“…In addition to the difficulties of accessing and using technology to adapt students to online education, research has also shown that its sudden implementation has had serious consequences for students’ SWB ( Hung et al, 2020 ; Lyons et al, 2020 ). It is known that social isolation, during the COVID-19 pandemic, has a negative effect on their well-being due to the increased emotional lability that people face in emergencies ( Ivantchev and Stoyanova, 2021 ). Worryingly, pandemics have seen an increase in mental disorders (e.g., anxiety, depression, loneliness) among pandemics (e.g., Besser et al, 2020 ; Cao et al, 2020 ; Azzi et al, 2021 ; Islam et al, 2021 ; Liu et al, 2021 ).…”