Research Feed

A curated collection of research papers and articles exploring the Big Five personality traits.

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism
Big-Five personality traits and dream experiences: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Marin et al. · Dreaming · January 2026

This meta-analysis of over 65,000 participants confirms that Big Five traits significantly shape our nocturnal experiences. Neuroticism is the primary predictor of nightmare frequency and emotional distress, while Openness correlates with high dream recall, vividness, and lucid dreaming. Extraver...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Neuroticism
Personality traits can predict which exercise intensities we enjoy most, and the magnitude of stress reduction experienced following a training program
Ronca et al. · Front. Psychol · July 2025

This study highlights that core personality traits are powerful predictors of baseline fitness and the specific exercise intensities individuals enjoy. Notably, participants scoring high in Neuroticism experienced the most significant stress-reduction benefits from aerobic training, suggesting a ...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism
Linking Big Five personality traits to components of diet: A meta-analytic review
Allen et al. · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · January 2025

This large-scale meta-analysis of over 150,000 participants explores how the Big Five traits influence dietary habits. Researchers found that lower Neuroticism and higher levels of Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Agreeableness consistently predict a healthier diet. These traits aff...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Neuroticism
The Relationship Between Big Five Personality Traits and Sleep Patterns: A Systematic Review
Guerreiro et al. · Nature and science of sleep · March 2024

This systematic review of 58,812 participants demonstrates that Big Five personality traits significantly influence sleep. High Neuroticism consistently correlates with poor sleep quality and disturbances, while Conscientiousness is a strong predictor of 'morningness' and better sleep hygiene. Th...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism
Universals and Variations in Musical Preferences: A Study of Preferential Reactions to Western Music in 53 Countries
Greenberg et al. · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Personality Processes and Individual Differences · January 2022

This massive study of over 350,000 people across six continents reveals that preferences for Western music follow universal patterns that transcend cultural boundaries. By analyzing both genre favorability and direct audio reactions, researchers identified five consistent latent factors of musica...

RESEARCH
Openness Neuroticism
Personality and intelligence: A meta-analysis
Anglim et al. · Psychological Bulletin · January 2022

This comprehensive meta-analysis of over 160,000 participants explores the deep connections between personality and intelligence. The findings identify Openness and Neuroticism as the strongest predictors of cognitive ability, with Openness specifically linked to 'crystallized' intelligence, or a...

RESEARCH
Openness
Spring 2020 COVID-19 Surge: Prospective Relations between Demographic Factors, Personality Traits, Social Cognitions and Guideline Adherence, Mask Wearing, and Symptoms in a U
Milad & Bogg · Annals of Behavioral Medicine: A Publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine. · July 2021

Most research on how individual differences affect COVID-19 guideline adherence has been cross-sectional, capturing only a single point in time. This leaves a significant gap in understanding prospective associations; how specific personality traits or behaviors actually predict future actions. S...

RESEARCH
Openness
Personality and Its Partisan Political Correlates Predict U
Heyman · Frontiers in Psychology · January 2021

This state-level analysis reveals that the American response to COVID-19 was driven by a complex interplay of politics and personality. Even when controlling for partisan allegiances, Openness emerged as a key predictor of mask-wearing, while Conscientiousness predicted less stringent state restr...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism
How personality and policy predict pandemic behavior: Understanding sheltering-in-place in 55 countries at the onset of COVID-19
Gotz et al. · American Psychologist · January 2021

Applying a Lewinian interactionist framework, this study examined how both government policy and personality traits influenced sheltering-in-place behavior across 54 countries. Researchers found that while strict government policies effectively increased compliance, individual personality traits ...

RESEARCH
Openness Extraversion Neuroticism
Five-factor model personality traits and verbal fluency in 10 cohorts
Sutin et al. · Psychology and Aging · January 2019

This meta-analysis of 90,000 participants identifies Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, and Conscientiousness as key predictors of verbal fluency. These traits consistently correlate with word retrieval across all age groups, independent of education. Notably, the protective effects of these pe...

RESEARCH
Openness Neuroticism
Nightmare frequency and nightmare distress: Socio-demographic and personality factors
Schredl & Goeritz · Sleep science (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · January 2019

Research identifies that the clinical impact of nightmares is driven not only by how often they occur but by the dreamer's underlying emotional framework. While nightmare frequency is a baseline factor, Neuroticism (or heightened emotional reactivity) is a significant contributor to the distress ...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism
Personality and parenting
Prinzie et al. · Handbook of parenting: Being and becoming a parent · January 2019

This chapter offers a comprehensive introduction to the theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence linking personality to parenting. It begins by establishing the core concepts within personality psychology and parenting research, then transitions into a detailed review of how specific traits ...

RESEARCH
Openness
Musical Preferences Predict Personality: Evidence From Active Listening and Facebook Likes
Nave et al. · Psychological Science · March 2018

Research involving over 44,000 participants confirms that personality traits are reliably communicated through musical preferences, extending beyond simple self-reports to behavioral actions. Both reactions to unfamiliar music and 'Likes' for specific artists on social media successfully predicte...

RESEARCH
Openness Extraversion Neuroticism
Personality and physical activity: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Wilson & Dishman · Personality and Individual Differences · January 2015

This meta-analysis examined links between Big Five personality traits and physical activity across over 60 studies. Extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness showed small positive associations with activity, while neuroticism showed a small negative link; agreeableness was not related. Effect...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness
Maternal personality and psychopathology as determinants of parenting behavior: A quantitative integration of two parenting literatures
McCabe · Psychological Bulletin · January 2014

This meta-analysis demonstrates that maternal personality and psychopathology are deeply interconnected determinants of parenting. Mothers with high Agreeableness, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness, alongside low Neuroticism and psychopathology, consistently exhibited more adaptive warmth and c...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism
The relations between parents' Big Five personality factors and parenting: a meta-analytic review
Prinzie et al. · Journal of personality and social psychology · January 2009

A meta-analysis of nearly 6,000 parent-child dyads indicates that a parent’s personality serves as a significant resource for their caregiving style. Higher levels of Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness correlate with increased warmth and behavioral control. Furthermore, ...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Neuroticism
Personality correlates of physical activity: a review and meta-analysis
Rhodes & Smith · British journal of sports medicine · January 2006

A meta-analysis of studies spanning nearly four decades identifies Extraversion, Conscientiousness, and Neuroticism as the primary personality drivers of physical activity. Specifically, individuals who are more outgoing and disciplined tend to exercise more, while those higher in emotional insta...

RESEARCH
Openness Neuroticism
Unpacking the personality–cognitive ability link: A cross-national facet-level analysis of the Big Five
Rammstedt et al. · Large-scale Assessments in Education · January 2006

This cross-national study reveals that narrow personality facets predict cognitive ability nearly twice as effectively as the broad Big Five domains. While broad categories mask specific relationships, granular facets account for 10% of the variance in intelligence. Notably, these associations va...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism
Personality and the Prediction of Consequential Outcomes
Ozer & Benet · Annual Review of Psychology · January 2006

The Big Five personality factors serve as powerful heuristics for predicting outcomes across multiple life domains. At the individual level, traits are linked to health, happiness, and identity. Interpersonally, they shape the quality of family and romantic relationships. Finally, at the institut...

RESEARCH
Openness
The Relationship between Maladaptive Personality and Right Wing Ideology
Van Hiel et al. · Personality and Individual Differences · January 2004

This study examines the link between political ideology and personality by comparing adaptive traits with their maladaptive counterparts. While Openness to Experience remains a strong predictor of ideological leanings, the research highlights that traditional Conscientiousness has a weaker link t...