Research Feed

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

RESEARCH
Openness Neuroticism
Lucid dreaming frequency and personality
Schredl & Erlacher · Personality and Individual Differences · January 2004

Research indicates that while lucid dreaming is a common phenomenon (reported by 82% of students) it has a surprisingly weak direct link to major personality traits. The study found no significant association with Introversion or Neuroticism, refuting theories that link lucidity to specific level...

RESEARCH
Openness Neuroticism
A Behavioral Genetic Study of the Overlap Between Personality and Parenting
Spinath & O'Connor · Journal of Personality · August 2003

This twin study reveals that while parental personality and caregiving styles share a modest connection, their association is primarily driven by nongenetic factors. Although parenting dimensions themselves show moderate genetic influence, the overlap with personality traits stems from environmen...

RESEARCH
Extraversion Neuroticism
The Affective Underpinnings of Job Perceptions and Attitudes: A Meta-Analytic Review and Integration
Thoresen et al. · Psychological Bulletin · January 2003

This meta-analysis of 62,000 employees confirms that positive and negative affect are powerful, independent drivers of job attitudes. Negative affect strongly predicts emotional exhaustion, while positive affect enhances job satisfaction and personal accomplishment. Because both affects contribut...

RESEARCH
Agreeableness Neuroticism
Work experiences and personality development in young adulthood
Roberts et al. · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · January 2003

This longitudinal research reveals a reciprocal relationship between personality and professional life during the transition into adulthood. While personality traits at age 18 significantly predict both objective and subjective work experiences by age 26, the reverse is also true: early career ex...

RESEARCH
Conscientiousness Neuroticism
Intergenerational Relationships in Young Adulthood and Their Life Course, Mental Health, and Personality Correlates
Belsky et al. · Journal of Family Psychology · January 2003

This study examines how life milestones and personality traits affect relationships between 26-year-olds and their parents. Relationships tend to be more positive when young adults are married, employed, and living independently. However, personality plays a distinct role: higher levels of negati...

RESEARCH
Neuroticism
It’s Not Just Who You’re With, It’s Who You Are: Personality and Relationship Experiences Across Multiple Relationships
Robins et al. · Journal of Personality · November 2002

This longitudinal study demonstrates a reciprocal relationship between stable personality traits and the quality of romantic relationships in young adulthood. Personality assessed at age 18 significantly predicted relationship quality, conflict, and abuse at age 26, suggesting that individual dif...

RESEARCH
Neuroticism
Five-factor model of personality and job satisfaction: A meta-analysis
Judge et al. · Journal of Applied Psychology · January 2002

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 wa...

RESEARCH
Extraversion Neuroticism
Positive Emotions Trigger Upward Spirals Toward Emotional Well-Being
Fredrickson & Joiner · Psychological Science · January 2002

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 inc...

RESEARCH
Agreeableness Neuroticism
Perceived personality associations with differences in sense of humor: Stereotypes of hypothetical others with high or low senses of humor
Cann, A. & Calhoun, L.G. · Humor: International Journal of Humor Research · July 2001

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 gr...

RESEARCH
Conscientiousness Neuroticism
Altruism and antisocial behavior: Independent tendencies, unique personality correlates, distinct etiologies
Krueger et al. · Psychological Science · January 2001

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 wit...

RESEARCH
Extraversion Neuroticism
Who attains social status? Effects of personality and physical attractiveness in social groups
Anderson et al. · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · January 2001

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....

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism
Spirituality: Description, Measurement, and Relation to the Five Factor Model of Personality
MacDonald, D.A. · Journal of Personality · January 2000

This research identifies five robust dimensions of spirituality that constitute the Expressions of Spirituality Inventory (ESI): Cognitive Orientation, Experiential/Phenomenological, Existential Well-Being, Paranormal Beliefs, and Religiousness. While these dimensions correlate differentially wit...

RESEARCH
Openness Neuroticism
Identity Consolidation in Early Adulthood: Relations with Ego-Resiliency, the Context of Marriage, and Personality Change
Pals · Journal of Personality. · January 1999

Successful identity consolidation involves committing to adult roles and constructing a coherent sense of self. Research on women shows that ego-resiliency at age 21 predicts better identity outcomes by age 27, a process often mediated by the quality of their experience in marriage. Notably, achi...

RESEARCH
Conscientiousness Agreeableness Neuroticism
The Big Five personality traits, general mental ability, and career success across the life span
Judge et al. · Personnel Psychology · January 1999

Drawing from the longitudinal Intergenerational Studies, this research proves that personality and cognitive ability independently drive career success. Conscientiousness consistently predicted both job satisfaction and higher income, while Neuroticism hindered extrinsic achievements. Furthermore...

RESEARCH
Neuroticism
The happy personality: A meta-analysis of 137 personality traits and subjective well-being
DeNeve, K. & Cooper, H. · Psychological Bulletin · January 1998

This meta-analysis of 137 personality constructs identifies how specific traits drive subjective well-being. While personality strongly predicts life satisfaction and happiness, it is less predictive of negative affect. Within the Big Five, Neuroticism stands as the primary predictor of overall s...

RESEARCH
Openness Neuroticism
Intelligence, personality, and interests: Evidence for overlapping traits
Ackerman & Heggestad · Psychological Bulletin · January 1997

This study explores how intelligence, personality, and vocational interests overlap. It distinguishes between intelligence as 'maximal performance' (testing well) and 'typical performance' (everyday thinking). By analyzing these connections, the researchers identified four 'trait complexes'—socia...

RESEARCH
Neuroticism
The longitudinal course of marital quality and stability: A review of theory, methods, and research
Karney & Bradbury · Psychological Bulletin · January 1995

This review of 115 longitudinal studies involving 45,000 marriages emphasizes that relationship success is a dynamic trajectory, not a static state. By evaluating decades of data, the authors developed an integrative model showing how individual vulnerabilities, external stressors, and adaptive c...

RESEARCH
Openness Extraversion Neuroticism
Relationship between the Five Factor model of personality and Axis I disorders in a nonclinical sample
Trull T.J. & Sher K.J., · Journal of Abnormal Psychology · January 1994

This study confirms the Five-Factor Model (FFM) effectively distinguishes individuals with Axis I disorders from those without. Across 468 young adults, personality dimensions provided unique diagnostic insights, even when accounting for general psychopathological symptoms. These findings highlig...

RESEARCH
Neuroticism
Personality and compatibility: A prospective analysis of marital stability and marital satisfaction
Kelly & Conley · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · January 1987

This longitudinal study, tracking 300 couples from the 1930s through 1980, identifies personality as a primary driver of long-term marital success. The most significant predictors of both dissatisfaction and divorce were the neuroticism of both spouses and the husband’s impulse control. While soc...