Agreeableness

Agreeableness reflects individual differences in concern for others, cooperation, and social harmony.

Agreeableness reflects individual differences in concern for others, cooperation, and social harmony.


Facets

The below facets represent sub-constructs of the overall trait Agreeableness.

Altruism
Altruism is an active concern for others’ welfare, selflessness, courtesy and consideration.
Cooperation
Cooperation is the tendency to defer to and comply with others, to inhibit aggression, and to forgive and forget.
Modesty
Modesty refers to the tendency to be humble and self-effacing (the opposite of Narcissism).
Morality
Morality is the tendency to be frank, sincere, straightforward, and ingenuous (the opposite of Machiavellian).
Trust
Trust is the tendency to believe that others are honest and well-intentioned; attribute benevolent intent to others.
Sympathy
Sympathy refers to a general concern for others and being guided by feelings when making judgements and forming attitudes.


Related Social Outcomes

Over the last 100 years, there has been a growing body of academic research dedicated to defining and understanding human personality and how differences among personalities are related to important social constructs. A good summary of this research is provided by Ozer & Benet (2006). This section is meant to provide a summary of how the trait scores from this test relate to a curated selection of some of the most well defined personality relationships to social outcomes. The information below is divided into three categories of outcomes, based on the level of social impact: individual, interpersonal, and social-institutional.

Individual Outcomes

Forgiveness

Social Impact Level

Individual

Relationship with Agreeableness

Forgiveness is positively correlated with Agreeableness

Definition

The tendency to transition ones responses toward a perceived transgression from negative into neutral or positive.

Representative Findings

In a study of 275 college students, Brose et al. (2005) found a significant correlation between higher scores on Agreeableness and Forgiveness (p < .001).

Gratitude

Social Impact Level

Individual

Relationship with Agreeableness

Gratitude is positively correlated with Agreeableness

Definition

Gratitude is a general tendency to recognize and respond with grateful emotion when experiencing positive outcomes that are attributable to the benevolence of others.

Representative Findings

In a study of 1,228 adult participants, McCullough et al. (2002) found a significant positive correlation (.39; p < .01) between trait gratitude and agreeableness.

Heart disease

Social Impact Level

Individual

Relationship with Agreeableness

Heart disease is negatively correlated with Agreeableness

Definition

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) or Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is a significant health risk (causing illness and death) and generally occurs when blood vessels supplying the heart with blood become damaged from cholesterol buildup & inflammation.

Representative Findings

In their meta-analysis of 45 studies, Miller et al. (1996) found a significant positive relationship between measures of hostility (a facet of agreeableness) and coronary heart disease (CHD), weighted mean r = .18.

Humor

Social Impact Level

Individual

Relationship with Agreeableness

Humor is positively correlated with Agreeableness

Definition

The general tendency to appreciate amusement, comedy, jokes, self-referential humor, jests, wit, or sarcasm.

Representative Findings

In a study of 169 college students, Cann & Calhoun (2001) found a significant positive relationship between Agreeableness and Humor (p < .05).

Religious beliefs and behavior

Social Impact Level

Individual

Relationship with Agreeableness

Religious beliefs and behavior is positively correlated with Agreeableness

Definition

MacDonald (2000) defined Religious / Spiritual concerns as a five component construct, including: cognitive orientation (perceptions and attitudes toward religious experience); experiential (mystical, transcendental, and transpersonal experiences); existential well-being (a sense of meaning, purpose, and resilience regarding ones existence); and religiousness (religious practice).

Representative Findings

In a study of 993 undergraduates, Macdonald (2000) demonstrate a significant positive relationship between Agreeableness and two dimenstions of Expressions of Spirituality: Cognitive Orientation Towards Spirituality (.30; p < .001; perceptions and attitudes regarding spirituality) and Religousness (.25; p < .001; religious practices).



Interpersonal Outcomes

Peer Status

Social Impact Level

Interpersonal

Relationship with Agreeableness

Peer Status is positively correlated with Agreeableness

Definition

Peer status refers to relationships within a peer group network using measures such as peer acceptance (one peer nominates another as a friend) and friendship (two peers nominate each other as friends). Status often refers to differences in prominence, respect, and influence among members of a group.

Representative Findings

Jensen-Campbell (2002) found a significant positive relationship between Agreeableness and measures of peer status among fifth- and sixth-grade children (.19; p < .01).

Romantic satisfaction while pursuing a romantic relationship

Social Impact Level

Interpersonal

Relationship with Agreeableness

Romantic satisfaction while pursuing a romantic relationship is positively correlated with Agreeableness

Definition

Romantic satisfaction refers to dating partners evaluations of the romantic relationship.

Representative Findings

Watson (2000) found a significant positive relationship between scores of Agreeableness and Relationship Satisfaction among 136 dating couples (p < .01).



Social-Institutional Outcomes

Criminal behavior

Social Impact Level

Social-Institutional

Relationship with Agreeableness

Criminal behavior is negatively correlated with Agreeableness

Definition

Criminal behavior indicates that someone has participated in an unlawful act (e.g., theft, vandalism, robbery, assault, public endangerment, etc.).

Representative Findings

In an experiment with college undergraduates who were studying criminal justice (n=230), Wiebe (2004) found a significant relationship between lower scores in Agreeableness and Criminal Acts (-.25; p < .01).

Extrinsic success

Social Impact Level

Social-Institutional

Relationship with Agreeableness

Extrinsic success is negatively correlated with Agreeableness

Definition

Extrinsic career success (e.g., salary and promotions) refer to observable rewards from the job.

Representative Findings

In a longitudinal study of gifted children, Judge (1999) found a significant negative relationship where higher childhood scores of Agreeableness were correlated with lower extrinsic career success later in life (p < .01).

Leadership

Social Impact Level

Social-Institutional

Relationship with Agreeableness

Leadership is positively correlated with Agreeableness

Definition

Leadership behavior involves inspiring the support of followers to cooperate and take action.

Representative Findings

Among a group of 316 potential community leaders, Judge & Bono (2000) found a significant correlation between Agreeableness and higher scores of transformational leadership (.27; p < .01).

Job attainment

Social Impact Level

Social-Institutional

Relationship with Agreeableness

Job attainment is positively correlated with Agreeableness

Definition

Occupational attainment is a construct representing different levels of success according to an objective (e.g., low-level unskilled jobs or high-level highly skilled jobs).

Representative Findings

In a longitudinal study that followed over a thousand new borns over time as they grew up, Roberts (2003) found a significant positive relationship where higher scores in Agreeableness / Communal Positive Emotionality at age 18 predected higher occupational attainment at age 26.

Social occupational interests

Social Impact Level

Social-Institutional

Relationship with Agreeableness

Social occupational interests is positively correlated with Agreeableness

Definition

According to Hollands RIASEC model, Social occupational interests include helping, teaching, treating, counseling, or serving others through personal interaction (Holland, 1996).

Representative Findings

Larson et al. (2002) and Barrick et al. (2003) both find meta-analytic evidence to suggest that those who score high on Agreeableness are likely to express interest in Social occupations.

Wear a mask as preventative health measure

Social Impact Level

Social-Institutional

Relationship with Agreeableness

Wear a mask as preventative health measure is positively correlated with Agreeableness

Definition

Masking refers to the practice of wearing a face covering when in the presence of other people, as a method to prevent the spread of airborne diseases.

Representative Findings

In a study of over 1,000 participants, controlling for socioeconomic factors, Wilroth et al. (2021), found agreeableness to be positively associated with mask wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic (p < .001 in longitudinal analysis and p<.05 in a separate cross-sectional analysis). In a survey of 35,000 U.S. adults surveyed from July - December 2020, Rothwell reported a significant positive association between agreeableness and mask use in stores and (to a lesser significance) use of a mask near friends.

Volunteerism

Social Impact Level

Social-Institutional

Relationship with Agreeableness

Volunteerism is positively correlated with Agreeableness

Definition

Volunteerism involves planned prosocial behavior benefitting strangers.

Representative Findings

In a study of ~800 college students, Carlo et al. (2005) found a significant correlation between higher scores in Agreeableness and Volunteerism. In an online survey of 1,100 people, Penner (2002) found a similar relationship between volunteerism and other-oriented empathy (which is strongly associated with Agreeableness).

Adhere to Shelter in Place Policy

Social Impact Level

Social-Institutional

Relationship with Agreeableness

Adhere to Shelter in Place Policy is positively correlated with Agreeableness

Definition

In the context of a pandemic health crisis, sheltering in place refers to the act of adhering to publich health guidelines to stay at a primary residence, avoiding travel and other public settings as much as possible.

Representative Findings

In a study of over 100,000 participants, controlling for socioeconomic factors, G?tz et al. (2020), found agreeableness to be positively associated with sheltering in place during the COVID-19 pandemic (p < .001).

Vaccine hesitant

Social Impact Level

Social-Institutional

Relationship with Agreeableness

Vaccine hesitant is negatively correlated with Agreeableness

Definition

Vaccine hesitancy and resistance refers to a situation where someone is unsure of or against vaccination.

Representative Findings

In a study with over 2,000 U.K. participants, Murphey et al. (2021) found that agreeableness was negatively related to vaccine hesitancy (p<.001).



References

Barrick, M. R., Mount, M. K., & Gupta, R. (2003). Meta-analysis of the relationship between the five-factor model of personality and Holland's occupational types. Personnel Psychology, 56(1), 45-74. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2003.tb00143.x

Brose, L. A., Rye, M. S., Lutz-Zois, C., & Ross, S. R. (2005). Forgiveness and personality traits. Personality and Individual Differences, 39(1), 35-46. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2004.11.001

Cann, A., & Calhoun, L. G. (2001). Perceived personality associations with differences in sense of humor: Stereotypes of hypothetical others with high or low senses of humor. Humor: International Journal of Humor Research, 14(2), 117-130. https://doi.org/10.1515/humr.14.2.117

Carlo, G., Okun, M. A., Knight, G. P., & de Guzman, M. R. T. (2005). The interplay of traits and motives on volunteering: Agreeableness, extraversion and prosocial value motivation. Personality and Individual Differences, 38(6), 1293-1305. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2004.08.012

Jensen-Campbell, L. A., Adams, R., Perry, D. G., Workman, K. A., Furdella, J. Q., & Egan, S. K. (2002). Agreeableness, extraversion, and peer relations in early adolescence: Winning friends and deflecting aggression. Journal of Research in Personality, 36(3), 224-251. http://doi.org/10.1006/jrpe.2002.2348

Judge, T. A., & Bono, J. E. (2000). Five-factor model of personality and transformational leadership. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(5), 751-765. http://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.85.5.751

Judge, T. A., Higgins, C. A., Thoresen, C. J., & Barrick, M. R. (1999). The Big Five personality traits, general mental ability, and career success across the life span. Personnel Psychology, 52(3), 621-652. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1999.tb00174.x

Larson, L. M., Rottinghaus, P. J., & Borgen, F. H. (2002). Meta-analyses of Big Six interests and Big Five personality factors. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 61(2), 217-239. http://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.2001.1854

MacDonald, D. A. (2000), Spirituality: Description, Measurement, and Relation to the Five Factor Model of Personality. Journal of Personality, 68: 153-197. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6494.t01-1-00094

McCullough, M. E., Emmons, R. A., & Tsang, J.-A. (2002). The grateful disposition: A conceptual and empirical topography. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(1), 112-127. http://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.82.1.112

Miller, J.D. and Lynam, D. (2001), Structural Models of Personality and Their Relation To Antisocial Behavior: A Meta-Analytic Review. Criminology, 39: 765-798. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.2001.tb00940.x

Miller, T. Q., Smith, T. W., Turner, C. W., Guijarro, M. L., & Hallet, A. J. (1996). Meta-analytic review of research on hostility and physical health. Psychological Bulletin, 119(2), 322–348. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.119.2.322

Ozer, Daniel & Benet, Veronica. (2006). Personality and the Prediction of Consequential Outcomes. Annual Review of Psychology. 57. 401-21. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.57.102904.190127

Penner, L. A. (2002). Dispositional and organizational influences on sustained volunteerism: An interactionist perspective. Journal of Social Issues, 58(3), 447-467. http://doi.org/10.1111/1540-4560.00270

Roberts, B. W., Caspi, A., & Moffitt, T. E. (2003). Work experiences and personality development in young adulthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(3), 582-593. http://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.3.582

Watson, D., Hubbard, B., & Wiese, D. (2000). General Traits of Personality and Affectivity as Predictors of Satisfaction in Intimate Relationships: Evidence from Self- and Partner-Ratings. Journal of Personality, 68(3), 413–449 https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6494.00102

Wiebe, R. P. (2004). Delinquent Behavior and the Five-Factor Model: Hiding in the Adaptive Landscape? Individual Differences Research, 2(1), 38-62. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2004-15382-004