Research Feed

Humanism represents a profound shift in European thought, marking the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. By centering human experience rather than strictly divine or supernatural matters, it revived interest in the classical Greek and Roman philosophies that prioritized logic, rh...

To gather diverse perspectives, the GAO collaborated with the National Academies to survey experts across multiple disciplines, including criminology, economics, public health, and statistics. This interdisciplinary approach was paired with a comprehensive literature review of 27 major studies pu...

This chapter explores how the Five Factor Model (FFM) relates to personality disorders, arguing that it reflects general personality structure rather than only normal traits. It reviews evidence showing that the FFM captures both adaptive and maladaptive functioning, explains similarities and dif...

This longitudinal study examined how neuroticism and related vulnerability traits predict the onset of mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders. Results suggest a general neuroticism factor contributes to risk across disorders, but is most strongly linked to mood and anxiety conditions, particu...

This study introduces a new model to measure how much our personalities stay the same versus how much they change over time. The findings reveal that while 83% of our core personality traits remain stable throughout life, areas like self-esteem and life satisfaction are much more likely to shift....

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...

This research examines the volunteer process across three distinct stages: antecedents (what motivates a person to serve), experiences (the actual period of service), and consequences (the outcomes for all involved). By analyzing volunteerism through multiple lenses, the study addresses the impac...

This study of 3,827 students across 19 countries reveals that high Neuroticism correlates with negative attitudes toward action and positive attitudes toward inaction. Anxiety primarily drives this bias against taking action, while collectivist beliefs further strengthen the negative link between...

This chapter conceptualizes Subjective Well-Being (SWB) as a multidimensional construct, addressing modern definitional controversies and comprehensive models. It examines how personality processes underlie SWB and explores whether baseline happiness levels can actually change over time. Beyond i...

While personality traits and personal values both predict behavior, they remain distinct psychological constructs. A meta-analysis of 60 studies linking the Five-Factor Model to Schwartz’s Value Theory reveals consistent but moderate correlations, confirming they are not interchangeable. The rese...

This systematic review finds that employment is generally associated with better health outcomes, especially in reducing depression and improving overall mental well-being. However, evidence on its impact on specific physical health conditions and mortality remains limited. The authors highlight ...

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...

Norm scores allow for the comparison of an individual's results against a population through the lens of a normal distribution. This statistical framework assumes most people score near the mean, with fewer individuals at the extremes. By using the mean (M) and standard deviation (SD), individual...

The 120-item version of the IPIP-NEO maintains the strong reliability and validity of the original 300-item inventory while significantly reducing participant burden. Tested across multiple massive datasets totaling over 900,000 individuals, this shorter form demonstrated psychometric properties ...

The site includes over 3,000 items and over 250 scales that have been constructed from the items. New items and scales are developed on an irregular basis. The items and scales are in the public domain. This work offers a robust scientific foundation for understanding the stable patterns of human...

This study uses the Big Five Aspect Scales to distinguish between 'Intellect' and 'Openness' as midlevel traits within the broader Openness/Intellect domain. Researchers found that Intellect correlates strongly with general, verbal, and nonverbal intelligence. In contrast, Openness is primarily l...

This study provides a rare quantitative look at the psychological profile of stand-up comedians compared to college students. The data revealed that comedians scored significantly higher in verbal intelligence and humor production ability, and they utilized all four styles of humor more frequentl...

This large-scale longitudinal study demonstrates that personality is not fixed but evolves across the entire lifespan, with the most significant shifts occurring during young adulthood and old age. While rank-order stability typically peaks between ages 40 and 60 (meaning individuals stay most co...

Research across multiple studies identifies a genre-free, five-factor model of musical preferences known as MUSIC: Mellow (relaxing), Unpretentious (sincere/rootsy), Sophisticated (complex/classical), Intense (forceful), and Contemporary (rhythmic). This latent structure suggests that our musical...