Research Feed

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

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...

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
Three paths of adult development: Conservers, seekers, and achievers
Helson & Srivastava · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · January 2001

This longitudinal study identifies three distinct pathways to positive mental health in women, categorized by their levels of Environmental Mastery (EM) and Personal Growth (PG). Achievers excel in both, while Conservers prioritize stability and mastery, and Seekers focus on continuous self-devel...

RESEARCH
Openness
Right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation and personality: An analysis using the IPIP measure
Heaven & Bucci · European Journal of Personality · January 2001

This study of 220 undergraduates confirms that Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) stem from distinct personality foundations. While both predict prejudice, they reflect different psychological profiles: RWA typically aligns with high Conscientiousness and low...

RESEARCH
Positive emotions in early life and longevity: Findings from the nun study
Danner et al. · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · January 2001

This longitudinal study analyzed the early-life autobiographies of 180 nuns to determine if emotional content predicts longevity. Researchers discovered a powerful inverse relationship between positive emotions expressed at age 22 and mortality risk between ages 75 and 95. Those in the highest qu...

RESEARCH
Conscientiousness
Personality and performance at the beginning of the new millennium: What do we know and where do we go next? <i>International Journal of Selection and Assessment</i>, 9(1-2), 9-30
Barrick et al. · International Journal of Selection and Assessment · January 2001

This meta-analysis synthesizes a century of research to clarify how the Big Five traits drive career success. The findings confirm that Conscientiousness is the most consistent predictor of high performance across all jobs. While Emotional Stability also generally predicts strong work habits, tra...

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
Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness
General Traits of Personality and Affectivity as Predictors of Satisfaction in Intimate Relationships: Evidence from Self- and Partner-Ratings
Watson et al. · Journal of Personality · January 2000

This study examined how personality traits and emotional tendencies relate to relationship satisfaction in married and dating couples. Both self- and partner-ratings of an individual’s personality showed similar predictive patterns, with positive and negative affectivity emerging as key influence...

RESEARCH
Positive psychology
Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi · The American psychologist · January 2000

The emergence of positive psychology marks a fundamental shift from a 'disease model' (which focuses exclusively on repairing pathology) toward a science of human flourishing. This framework emphasizes the study of positive subjective experiences, individual traits like courage and wisdom, and in...

RESEARCH
Openness
Isms and the structure of social attitudes
Saucier · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · January 2000

This study identifies 'isms' as the foundational building blocks for measuring social attitudes, revealing a distinct structure of individual differences. A primary three-factor model emerged, with Conservatism and Authoritarianism functioning as major subcomponents of the largest factor. Notably...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion
Is acculturation unidimensional or bidimensional? A head-to-head comparison in the prediction of personality, self-identity, and adjustment
Ryder et al. · Journal of personality and social psychology · January 2000

This research supports the bidimensional model of acculturation, arguing that maintaining one's heritage culture and adopting a mainstream culture are independent processes rather than opposites. While the unidimensional view suggests an inverse relationship, data from diverse ethnic samples show...