Research Feed

A curated collection of research papers, articles, and related news and media exploring the Big Five personality traits.

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
Extraversion
Big Five factors of personality and replicated predictions of behavior
Paunonen · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · January 2003

This study confirms that the Big Five personality factors are reliable predictors of significant real-world behaviors, such as academic performance and alcohol consumption. By testing two independent samples using three different assessment tools (including traditional verbal inventories and an e...

RESEARCH
Personality in Adulthood. A Five-Factor Theory Perspective
McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. · Personality in Adulthood. A Five-Factor Theory Perspective · January 2003

This updated research confirms that personality traits remain remarkably stable after age 30, significantly shaping individual adaptation and the life course. Through extensive longitudinal and cross-cultural studies, the authors demonstrate that the Five-Factor Model provides a reliable framewor...

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
Openness Extraversion Agreeableness
Meta-analysis of the relationship between the five-factor model of personality and Holland's occupational types
Barrick et al. · Personnel Psychology · January 2003

This study examines the connection between the Big Five personality traits and Holland’s RIASEC occupational types. The findings reveal that while these models overlap, they measure distinct aspects of an individual. The strongest links exist between Enterprising roles and Extraversion, as well a...

RESEARCH
Extraversion Agreeableness
Dispositional and organizational influences on sustained volunteerism: An interactionist perspective
Penner · Journal of Social Issues · December 2002

Volunteerism is defined as long-term, planned prosocial behavior that benefits strangers within an organizational context. This research highlights that sustained service is driven by both dispositional variables (such as specific personality traits and religiosity) and organizational factors, su...

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
Meta-analytic review of research on hostility and physical health
Smith & Spiro · Psychological Bulletin · January 2002

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...

RESEARCH
Personality, attachment and sexuality related to dating relationship outcomes: Contrasting three perspectives on personal attribute interaction
Schmitt · British Journal of Social Psychology · January 2002

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. ...

RESEARCH
Extraversion Agreeableness
The grateful disposition: A conceptual and empirical topography
McCullough et al. · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · January 2002

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 ...

RESEARCH
Openness Extraversion Agreeableness
Meta-analyses of Big Six interests and Big Five personality factors
Larson et al. · Journal of Vocational Behavior · January 2002

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 t...

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 Agreeableness
Agreeableness, extraversion, and peer relations in early adolescence: Winning friends and deflecting aggression
Jensen-Campbell et al. · Journal of Research in Personality · January 2002

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. S...

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
Maladaptive personality functioning within the Big Five and the five-factor model
Coker, L.A, Samuel, D.B., & Widiger, T.A. · Journal of Personality Disorders · January 2002

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 standar...

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
Carving personality description at its joints: Confirmation of three replicable personality prototypes for both children and adults
Asendorptf et al. · European Journal of Personality · May 2001

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 ex...

RESEARCH
Big Five factors and facets and the prediction of behavior
Paunonen & Ashton · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · January 2001

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 ...

RESEARCH
Conscientiousness Agreeableness
Structural Models of Personality and Their Relation To Antisocial Behavior: A Meta-Analytic Review
Miller & Lynam · Criminology · January 2001

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 correl...