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The Power of Personality The Comparative Validity of Personality Traits, Socioeconomic Status, and Cognitive Ability for Predicting Important Life Outcomes
Abstract and Figures
The ability of personality traits to predict important life outcomes has traditionally been questioned because of the putative small effects of personality. In this article, we compare the predictive validity of personality traits with that of socioeconomic status (SES) and cognitive ability to test the relative contribution of personality traits to predictions of three critical outcomes: mortality, divorce, and occupational attainment. Only evidence from prospective longitudinal studies was considered. In addition, an attempt was made to limit the review to studies that controlled for important background factors. Results showed that the magnitude of the effects of personality traits on mortality, divorce, and occupational attainment was indistinguishable from the effects of SES and cognitive ability on these outcomes. These results demonstrate the influence of personality traits on important life outcomes, highlight the need to more routinely incorporate measures of personality into quality of life surveys, and encourage further research about the developmental origins of personality traits and the processes by which these traits influence diverse life outcomes.
© 2007 Association for Psychological Science.
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... Broad trait domains such as neuroticism and conscientiousness have been linked to health behaviors, mental disorders, physical health problems, and mortality [3][4][5] . The predictive power of personality traits for relevant health outcomes is equal to or higher than those of other variables such as socio-economic status or cognitive abilities 6 . Moreover, costs associated with maladaptive personality trait levels have been found to surpass those of common mental health problems 7 . ...
Personality traits are of critical importance for individual and public health, and many people want to change their personality. Volitional personality change (VPC)-self-directed trait changes in the direction of personal change goals-may thus be a promising way to promote health. In this review, we integrated the emerging literature on VPC (29 studies, N = 7,719). Simply having a goal to change one's personality was only weakly related to actual personality changes. However, VPC interventions were successful in promoting desired and lasting personality changes (d = 0.26). Promoting VPC may thus help to promote health in the general public.
... Feelings of guilt, stemming from academic underperformance, interpersonal conflicts, or personal failures, have been associated with negative psychological outcomes and decreased academic motivation (Tangney et al., 1996;Saboonchi et al., 2017).Extraversion, as a personality trait, has been examined in relation to student adjustment and social integration within educational contexts. Research suggests that extraverted individuals tend to experience greater social support, engagement in extracurricular activities, and overall satisfaction with their academic experience (Roberts et al., 2007;Poropat, 2009).Arousal, representing the physiological and psychological state of alertness and readiness to respond to stimuli, has been studied in relation to student motivation, attention, and academic performance (Yerkes & Dodson, 1908;Sokolowski&Giovannetti, 2016). ...
The implementation of the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in India heralds a significant transformation in the higher education landscape, aiming to foster a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to learning. This comparative study explores the impact of NEP 2020 on eight psychological dimensions among students, including anxiety, stress, depression, regression, fatigue, guilt, extraversion, and arousal. Drawing on a sample of 140 undergraduate students from Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, divided into NEP and Non-NEP cohorts, the study employs Quota sampling to ensure a representative sample. The Eight State Questionnaire (ESQ) is utilized to measure the psychological dimensions, with data collected through an online survey platform. Statistical analysis, including independent samples t-tests, reveals no statistically significant differences in most psychological dimensions between NEP and Non-NEP students. However, a notable difference is observed in extraversion levels, indicating a potential influence of the policy on this personality trait. The study addresses ethical considerations and acknowledges limitations, such as the study's causal-comparative design and potential response biases. The findings suggest that while NEP 2020 may not directly impact student psychological well-being in most dimensions, it may have broader effects on personality traits. These insights have implications for educational policymakers and practitioners, highlighting the need for further research to understand the nuanced effects of educational policies on student behavior and well-being. Overall, this study contributes to the ongoing discourse surrounding educational reform in India and underscores the importance of creating supportive and inclusive learning environments.
... In terms of predictive goals, the extant research demonstrating the predictive utility of personality (Beck & Jackson, 2022;Mroczek & Spiro, 2007;Roberts et al., 2007;Soto, 2021;, 2023b) makes a strong case for the value of personality science. Although it would be folly to wholly discount the predictive utility of personality, in practice, prediction is never perfect, minimal variance is explained, and effects are generally small in magnitude (Götz et al., 2022). ...
Decades of research have identified average patterns of normative personality development across the lifespan. However, it is unclear how well these correspond to trajectories of individual development. Past work beyond general personality development might suggest these average patterns are oversimplifications, necessitating novel examinations of how personality develops and consideration of new individual difference metrics. This study uses five longitudinal data sets from Germany, Australia, the Netherlands, and the United States (N = 128,345; Mage = 45.42; 53% female) to examine personality development using mixed-effects location scale models. These models quantify individual differences in within-person residual variability, or sigma, around trajectories—thereby testing if models that assume sigma is homogeneous, unsystematic noise are appropriate. We investigate if there are individual differences in longitudinal within-person variability for Big Five trajectories, if there are variables associated with this heterogeneity, and if person-level sigma values can uniquely predict an outcome. Results indicated that, across all models, there was meaningful heterogeneity in sigma—the magnitude of which was comparable to and often even greater than that of intercepts and slopes. Individual differences in sigma were further associated with covariates central to personality development and had robust predictive utility for health status, an outcome with long-established personality associations. Collectively, these findings underscore the presence, degree, validity, and potential utility of heterogeneity in longitudinal within-person variability and indicate the typical linear model does not adequately depict individual development. We suggest it should become the default to consider this individual difference metric in personality development research.
This assignment delves into the intricate relationship between personal leadership traits and financial planning, elucidating how individual characteristics impact financial decision-making and overall prosperity. Beginning with an overview of the assignment's structure, it highlights the importance of personal leadership traits in effective financial planning, underscoring their role in navigating contemporary challenges. The exploration of personal leadership traits encompasses defining their significance, discussing various traits, and examining their influence on decision-making processes. Subsequently, it delves into the essence of personal financial planning, outlining its key components essential for financial well-being. The nexus between personal leadership traits and financial planning is explored through case studies, illustrating how leadership attributes shape financial outcomes. Moreover, contemporary issues such as digital transformation, diversity, and sustainability are scrutinized, elucidating the role of leadership traits in addressing these challenges. Strategies for developing and leveraging personal leadership traits are proposed to enhance financial planning efficacy. Additionally, the analysis extends to examining how leadership attributes contribute to financial resilience and long-term prosperity. The conclusion summarizes key insights, reaffirming the significance of personal leadership traits in financial planning and suggesting avenues for future research.
This study explores the relationship between extroversion personality traits, as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test, and learning strategy preferences among English language learners. Employing a quantitative methodology, data were collected from a sample of 1621 participants to investigate the predominant extroversion personality traits and differences in learning strategy selection. The research background emphasizes the significance of understanding individual differences in personality traits and their impact on learning behaviors. The study aims to discern whether extroverted individuals exhibit distinct preferences for specific learning strategies, particularly in metacognition, cognition, compensation, affect, and social interaction. By elucidating these relationships, educators can tailor instructional approaches better to accommodate learners’ diverse needs and strengths, ultimately enhancing educational outcomes.
Recent work has made great strides in understanding the situations that prompt people to disclose information or keep secrets. Through four studies ( N = 24,684), this article provides new insights into disclosure and secrecy through the lens of individual differences. Studies 1 and 2 find that higher levels of private self-consciousness are associated with greater disclosure, while higher levels of public self-consciousness are associated with greater secrecy. Studies 3 and 4 examined the Big Five personality traits and life satisfaction, finding reliably distinct patterns when it comes to keeping secrets and having the kinds of experiences people typically keep secret. Taken together, the studies provide several new insights into individual differences as well as future research directions.
The US Supreme Court recently debated and upheld a significant piece of farmed animal welfare legislation, Proposition 12, which was broadly supported by Californian voters. The goal of this study was to determine how individual differences in personality are related to attitudes about this legislation. We examined how ten lower-order aspects of the Big Five personality traits were related to Proposition 12 in an American sample (n = 802). The Openness aspect of Openness to Experience, the Withdrawal aspect of Neuroticism, and trait domain Agreeableness were consistently related to support for Proposition 12. Effects were not moderated by political orientation, region, gender, or age. Our results show that personality traits are not only an important factor in general political attitudes about animal welfare, but that they can predict people’s attitudes about particular pieces of animal welfare legislation. Results also highlight the importance of considering lower-order aspects for predicting animal welfare attitudes.
This longitudinal study provides an analysis of the relationship between personality traits and work experiences with a special focus on the relationship between changes in personality and work experiences in young adulthood. Longitudinal analyses uncovered 3 findings. First, measures of personality taken at age 18 predicted both objective and subjective work experiences at age 26. Second, work experiences were related to changes in personality traits from age 18 to 26. Third, the predictive and change relations between personality traits and work experiences were corresponsive: Traits that "selected" people into specific work experiences were the same traits that changed in response to those same work experiences. The relevance of the findings to theories of personality development is discussed.
In this article, the authors evaluate the possible roles of negative emotions and cognitions in the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and physical health, focusing on the outcomes of cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality. After reviewing the limited direct evidence, the authors examine indirect evidence showing that (a) SES relates to the targeted health outcomes, (b) SES relates to negative emotions and cognitions, and (c) negative emotions and cognitions relate to the targeted health outcomes. The authors present a general framework for understanding the roles of cognitiveemotional factors, suggesting that low-SES environments are stressful and reduce individuals' reserve capacity to manage stress, thereby increasing vulnerability to negative emotions and cognitions. The article concludes with suggestions for future research to better evaluate the proposed model.
The authors compared the Big 5 factors of personality with the facets or traits of personality that constitute those factors on their ability to predict 40 behavior criteria. Both the broad factors and the narrow facets predicted substantial numbers of criteria, but the latter did noticeably better in that regard, even when the number of facet predictors was limited to the number of factor predictors. Moreover, the criterion variance accounted for by the personality facets often included large portions not predicted by the personality factors. The narrow facets, therefore, were able to substantially increase the maximum prediction achieved by the broad factors. The results of this study are interpreted as supporting a more detailed approach to personality assessment, one that goes beyond the measurement of the Big 5 factors alone.
Handwritten autobiographies from 180 Catholic nuns, composed when participants were a mean age of 22 years, were scored for emotional content and related to survival during ages 75 to 95. A strong inverse association was found between positive emotional content in these writings and risk of mortality in late life (p < .001). As the quartile ranking of positive emotion in early life increased, there was a stepwise decrease in risk of mortality resulting in a 2.5-fold difference between the lowest and highest quartiles. Positive emotional content in early-life autobiographies was strongly associated with longevity 6 decades later. Underlying mechanisms of balanced emotional states are discussed.
Shortly after marriage, 56 couples provided data on physical aggression and other predictors of marital adjustment. At 6-month intervals over the next 4 years, spouses reported on their marital quality and stability. Results indicated that marital dysfunction was more common among aggressive than among nonaggressive couples (70% vs. 38%) and among severely aggressive than among moderately aggressive couples (93% vs. 46%). Aggression remained a reliable predictor of marital outcomes after the authors controlled for stressful events and negative communication. These findings help to refine developmental models of marital dysfunction, which often overlook the role of aggression, and can provide information for prevention programs for marital distress, which typically do not distinguish between aggressive and nonaggressive couples.
Background
It is not clear whether the increased mortality associated with depression can be explained by the effects of potential confounding variables.
AimsTo measure the effect of depression on mortality after controlling for cognitive decline, cardiovascular risk factors and antidepressant use.
MethodA prospective cohort study derived from data from a multi-centre randomised controlled trial of moderate hypertension. Atotal of2584 participants, aged 65–75 years at study entry, were followed up for 11 years.
ResultsDepression on the SelfCARE-D scale was associated with mortality after controlling for gender. After controling for cardiovascular risk factors, cognitive decline and anti-depressant use, depression continued to have a modest effect (hazard ratio⩵l.43; 95% CI 1.03–1.98). Depression in males and in people aged under 70 years significantly increased the risk of death.
Conclusions
Depression was associated with mortality only after controlling for gender. There was a modest but robust association between depression and mortality that was not explained by confounding by cardiovascular risk factors, cognitive decline or history of antidepressant use.