Research Feed

This systematic review of 16 studies (2020–2025) examines how the Big Five traits relate to online shopping and related digital behavior. Conscientiousness protects against impulsive and compulsive buying, while neuroticism is the strongest driver of both, including panic buying. Extraversion shows the broadest influence, notably on sharing information on social media. Openness encourages exploratory behavior, such as using online reviews. Agreeableness is the most context-dependent trait. Findings vary across cultures, and impulsive buying dominates the research.

In 476 Italian adults, higher Agreeableness predicted less comparison-based social media use, but only indirectly: agreeable people engaged in less passive, consumption-based browsing (aimless scrolling), which in turn drove down comparison behavior. The direct link between Agreeableness and comparison-use wasn't significant on its own: passive consumption fully explained it. Positional thinking (evaluating oneself relative to others) didn't significantly moderate this pathway, though the protective effect of Agreeableness trended stronger at medium-to-high levels of positional thinking.

The study found that among 451 Turkish campers, Big Five personality traits collectively predicted both leisure activity involvement and behavioral loyalty (repeat campsite visits). Specific trait-level findings indicated that emotionally stable individuals were more likely to revisit familiar sites, viewing challenges as adventure rather than stress. Conscientious campers favored reliable, safe sites and showed stronger loyalty, while extraverted campers were drawn to socially active settings. Those higher in openness tended toward variety-seeking, potentially weakening loyalty. Agreeableness supported loyalty when group dynamics and service quality were positive. Leisure involvement mediated personality's effect on loyalty, and this pathway was amplified when place dependence was high.

Among 121 Gen Z participants in Surabaya, emotional regulation negatively predicted impulsive buying (higher regulation, lower impulsivity), while social presence positively predicted it (more social influence, more impulsive purchases). Together, both variables significantly explained impulsive buying behavior. Findings suggest that strengthening emotional regulation and moderating social media exposure may reduce impulsive purchasing tendencies in this digitally native generation.

Using PLS-SEM with 530 Chinese participants, this study models how Big Five traits shape adoption of AI-powered financial robo-advisors via perceived intelligence and anthropomorphism. Conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness positively influenced both AI perceptions and adoption directly; neuroticism negatively affected perceptions, impacting adoption indirectly through anthropomorphism. Surprisingly, openness had no significant effect, suggesting financial decision-making contexts prioritize reliability over novelty-seeking tendencies.

This Forbes opinion piece by executive coach Megan Malone reports on a Truity survey of 56,000+ people finding that Big Five personality traits predict AI attitudes at work. High conscientiousness correlates with enthusiastic AI "superusers" who view it as a productivity tool, while high openness and high neuroticism both predict skepticism: openness due to concerns about creative ownership, neuroticism due to anxiety about risk and job security.

Using Big Five personality traits and Latent Profile Analysis, this study segments South Korean robotic café customers into two profiles: "Mindful Consumers" (higher neuroticism, lower openness) and "Future-Forward Consumers" (higher openness, extraversion, agreeableness). The latter reported stronger emotional engagement and word-of-mouth intentions, especially in fully automated settings. The study demonstrates how trait configurations can predict real-world consumer behavior and inform differentiated service design strategies.

This CHI 2026 paper tests whether Big Five (OCEAN) traits can be embedded in AI coding agents. Researchers created three profiles (a no-personality Baseline, a Cautious Guardian (thorough, risk-focused), and a Decision Builder (confident, exploratory)) and had 14 developers use all three on refactoring tasks. Personalities were reliably detectable without hurting task completion, but preferences diverged sharply, suggesting adaptive personality customization may outperform any single universal style.

Voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant possess personalities that significantly shape user experience. This research identifies seven key personality traits, showing that functional intelligence, sincerity, and creativity are most effective. These traits trigger a 'flow' state, empowering users to feel in control and engage in exploratory behavior. Such positive interactions directly increase overall satisfaction and the likelihood of continued long-term use.