Refining the relationship between personality and subjective well-being.

Abstract

Understanding subjective well-being (SWB) has historically been a core human endeavor and presently spans fields from management to mental health. Previous meta-analyses have indicated that personality traits are one of the best predictors. Still, these past results indicate only a moderate relationship, weaker than suggested by several lines of reasoning. This may be because of commensurability, where researchers have grouped together substantively disparate measures in their analyses. In this article, the authors review and address this problem directly, focusing on individual measures of personality (e.g., the Neuroticism-Extroversion-Openness Personality Inventory; P. T. Costa & R. R. McCrae, 1992) and categories of SWB (e.g., life satisfaction). In addition, the authors take a multivariate approach, assessing how much variance personality traits account for individually as well as together. Results indicate that different personality and SWB scales can be substantively different and that the relationship between the two is typically much larger (e.g., 4 times) than previous meta-analyses have indicated. Total SWB variance accounted for by personality can reach as high as 39% or 63% disattenuated. These results also speak to meta-analyses in general and the need to account for scale differences once a sufficient research base has been generated.

Personality change following unemployment.

“…Neuroticism is the personality trait most strongly linked to wellbeing (Boyce et al, 2013;DeNeve & Cooper, 1998;Steel, Schmidt, & Shultz, 2008), and so it is likely that at least temporary changes in neuroticism would have taken place. Such a finding, rather than being inconsistent, helps to illustrate differences between relatively stable predispositions and temporary shifts to well-being.…”

Big Five Personality Trait Short Questionnaire: Preliminary Validation with Spanish Adults

“…Positive and negative affects are considered two main components of happiness and they are associated to extraversion and neuroticism (low emotional stability) respectively (Pavot & Diener, 2011). Moreover, the metaanalysis of Steel, Schmidt, and Shultz (2008) indicated that extraversion and neuroticism broad domains were the best predictors of subjective wellbeing. In relation to the second outcome, as expected, extraversion and conscientiousness presented positive and negative correlations respectively to alcohol use (Mezquita, Ibáñez, Moya, Villa, & Ortet, 2014).…”

The pleasure of making a difference: Perceived social contribution explains the relation between extraverted behavior and positive affect.

“…Extraversion is one of five basic trait domains that describe the structure of personality (John, Naumann, & Soto, 2008), and can be defined as the tendency to be talkative, assertive, and sociable at the high end of the continuum, and quiet, passive, and reserved at the opposite ("introverted") end. The tendency for extraverts to experience higher levels of positive affect (PA) is often described as one of the most robust findings in personality psychology (Lucas & Fujita, 2000;Smillie, DeYoung, & Hall, 2015;Steel, Schmidt, & Shultz, 2008), and holds across several cultures (Lucas, Diener, Grob, Suh, & Shao, 2000). This relation is strongest when PA is defined, in line with Watson and Tellegen's (1985) factor model of affect, as the combination of pleasant valence and high activation (e.g., lively, excited; see Smillie, DeYoung, & Hall, 2015).…”