Research Feed

This meta-analysis identifies hostility as an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) and all-cause mortality. The research distinguishes between different measurement methods, finding that structured interviews focusing on the 'potential for hostility' are particularly effective at predicting CHD. Meanwhile, cognitive-experiential measures, such as the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale, prove highly predictive of overall mortality. Despite an increase in null findings from recent high-risk studies, the overall evidence suggests that chronic hostility functions as a significant psychological contributor to cardiovascular decline and shortened lifespan.

This research contrasts three perspectives on romantic dynamics (similarity, complementarity, and exchange) to determine which best predicts relationship outcomes. The findings indicate that exchange, or the interaction of socially valuable attributes, is the strongest predictor of satisfaction. Interestingly, the study found a negative correlation with similarity, suggesting that couples with dissimilar personality traits and attachment styles were actually more satisfied. While complementarity did not influence satisfaction, it was the primary driver of commitment, particularly when partners possessed complementary personalities.

Research across four studies identifies gratitude as a distinct disposition strongly linked to higher well-being, prosociality, and spirituality. Notably, the grateful disposition is negatively associated with envy and materialism. These relationships remain significant even when controlling for Big Five traits like Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Agreeableness, proving that gratitude offers unique psychological insights beyond general personality. To facilitate future research, the authors developed the Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ-6), a highly reliable unidimensional scale.

This meta-analysis identifies robust links between Holland’s Big Six vocational interests and the Big Five personality domains. The strongest connections include Artistic with Openness (r=.48), Enterprising with Extraversion (r=.41), and Social with Extraversion (r=.31). These findings indicate that career interests are not distinct from personality; rather, they serve as specific, practical expressions of a person's broader dispositional traits in a professional context.

This comprehensive meta-analysis of 163 samples confirms that personality is a significant dispositional source of job satisfaction. When organized under the Big Five framework, the traits collectively show a strong multiple correlation of .41 with how much people enjoy their work. Neuroticism was the strongest negative predictor, while Conscientiousness and Extraversion were the most potent positive predictors. Notably, only the effects of Neuroticism and Extraversion consistently generalized across different types of studies, suggesting they are the most stable personality drivers of workplace contentment regardless of the specific job context.

This longitudinal research identifies Agreeableness as the primary personality dimension influencing adolescent peer relations and social safety. While both Agreeableness and Extraversion correlate with peer acceptance, Agreeableness uniquely serves as a protective shield against victimization. Specifically, high Agreeableness moderates behavioral vulnerabilities; for agreeable children, these vulnerabilities do not lead to increased bullying, whereas less agreeable children experience a direct correlation between behavioral risks and victimization over time.

This study provides evidence for the 'broaden-and-build' theory, which suggests that positive emotions expand a person's cognitive and behavioral repertoire. Researchers found a reciprocal relationship where initial positive affect led to improved broad-minded coping strategies, which in turn increased future positive affect. This 'upward spiral' effect was unique to positive emotions, as negative affect did not show the same predictive power over coping mechanisms. The results suggest that fostering positive emotional states can serially enhance well-being and resilience over time.

This study bridges the gap between normal personality traits and personality disorders by examining 'socially undesirable' language. By mapping maladaptive terms onto the Big Five poles, researchers found that personality disorders are essentially extreme, socially problematic versions of standard traits. This lexical approach reinforces the Five-Factor Model’s ability to categorize dysfunctional behavior, suggesting that maladaptive personality is a matter of degree rather than a separate category.

This research highlights how a strong sense of humor acts as a powerful social asset by shaping how others perceive our personality. Across two studies, observers consistently linked a 'well above average' sense of humor to a suite of socially desirable traits. Specifically, individuals with a great sense of humor are perceived as being significantly higher in Agreeableness and lower in Neuroticism compared to those with a typical or below-average sense of humor. These findings suggest that humor doesn't just make people laugh; it generates a 'halo effect' of positive expectations, leading others to view the humorous person as more emotionally stable and socially cooperative.

This research identifies three core personality prototypes (resilient, overcontrolled, and undercontrolled) that remain consistent from childhood through adulthood. Resilient individuals show high adaptability, while overcontrollers tend to internalize their emotions and undercontrollers often externalize their behaviors. By confirming these patterns across different ages and evaluation methods, the study provides a powerful, high-level framework for understanding how distinct personality types interact with the social world.

While the broad Big Five factors are useful, this study proves that narrow personality facets significantly improve predictive accuracy. In tests against 40 behavioral criteria, specific sub-traits outperformed broad factors, capturing significant variance that the Big Five missed. These results advocate for a more granular approach to personality assessment, suggesting that measuring specific facets provides a far more precise and effective understanding of human behavior.

This meta-analysis of 59 studies demonstrates that personality research provides a powerful lens for understanding criminology. By comparing four major structural models—PEN, the three-factor model, the FFM, and the seven-factor model—the authors found that antisocial behavior consistently correlates with specific traits. Regardless of the framework used, the strongest predictors of antisocial behavior are low Agreeableness and low Conscientiousness. These results suggest that the 'core' of criminal and antisocial tendencies lies in a lack of empathy, poor impulse control, and a disregard for social norms, providing a unified psychological profile for future criminological research.

This research clarifies that altruism and antisocial behavior are independent dimensions rather than opposite ends of one spectrum. Altruism is primarily shaped by familial environments and positive emotionality, while antisocial behavior stems from genetics and negative emotionality combined with low constraint. Because these tendencies arise from distinct etiologies, they can coexist within an individual, functioning as uncorrelated personality expressions rather than mutually exclusive traits.

This longitudinal study identifies three distinct pathways to positive mental health in women, categorized by their levels of Environmental Mastery (EM) and Personal Growth (PG). Achievers excel in both, while Conservers prioritize stability and mastery, and Seekers focus on continuous self-development. Each group exhibits unique strengths in competence, wisdom, and generativity, with their late-life mental health outcomes being significantly shaped by their personality at age 21 and identity formation by age 43.

This study of 220 undergraduates confirms that Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) stem from distinct personality foundations. While both predict prejudice, they reflect different psychological profiles: RWA typically aligns with high Conscientiousness and low Openness, whereas SDO is more strongly associated with low Agreeableness. These results highlight that the motivation for intergroup bias varies significantly between those seeking social stability and those seeking group-based hierarchy.

This longitudinal study analyzed the early-life autobiographies of 180 nuns to determine if emotional content predicts longevity. Researchers discovered a powerful inverse relationship between positive emotions expressed at age 22 and mortality risk between ages 75 and 95. Those in the highest quartile of positive emotion lived significantly longer, showing a 2.5-fold lower risk of death compared to the lowest quartile. These findings suggest that a positive emotional baseline in early adulthood serves as a long-term predictor of survival decades later.

This meta-analysis synthesizes a century of research to clarify how the Big Five traits drive career success. The findings confirm that Conscientiousness is the most consistent predictor of high performance across all jobs. While Emotional Stability also generally predicts strong work habits, traits like Extraversion, Openness, and Agreeableness are more specialized, predicting success primarily in specific roles or niche performance criteria rather than overall job proficiency.

This study investigates how personality determines social status within groups like fraternities and dormitories. Researchers found that Extraversion is a universal predictor of influence and respect for both men and women. In contrast, high Neuroticism specifically predicted lower status in men. While physical attractiveness contributed to status for men, it did not have the same effect for women, whose social hierarchies proved just as stable but took longer to establish.

This study examined how personality traits and emotional tendencies relate to relationship satisfaction in married and dating couples. Both self- and partner-ratings of an individual’s personality showed similar predictive patterns, with positive and negative affectivity emerging as key influences. Traits such as conscientiousness, agreeableness, and extraversion were also linked to satisfaction, while a partner’s personality had a comparatively smaller impact on overall relationship quality.

The emergence of positive psychology marks a fundamental shift from a 'disease model' (which focuses exclusively on repairing pathology) toward a science of human flourishing. This framework emphasizes the study of positive subjective experiences, individual traits like courage and wisdom, and institutions that improve quality of life. By focusing on strengths such as optimism, hope, and self-regulation, researchers aim to understand what makes life worth living rather than merely how to treat mental illness. This proactive approach suggests that building internal resilience and fostering talent are essential for preventing future pathologies and allowing individuals and communities to thrive.