- The links between personality types that are associated with higher life satisfaction persist throughout life, strengthening with age, according to a new study.
- The study is based on the Big Five personality model and life satisfaction data from people living in the Netherlands.
- The personality type most strongly associated with life satisfaction is a high level of emotional stability.
Researchers have believed for some time that certain personality types are more closely associated with finding satisfaction in life than others.
A recent study explores for the first time whether these associations are linked to particular life phases or if they hold true at all ages. The study is based on the Big Five personality model some psychologists employ to describe many human demeanors. Several personality traits are particularly linked to feeling satisfied with life.
Researchers also found that work satisfaction is closely tied to conscientiousness, while social satisfaction is closely linked to extraversion and agreeableness.
The study analyzes public, de-identified data collected for the Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences panel survey from 2008 to 2019. The survey’s 9,110 participants were a nationally representative sample of people residing in the Netherlands aged 16 to 95.
The study is published in the American Psychological Association’s Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
The Big Five are broad personality traits that characterize how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. Sequentially, their first letters spell “OCEAN.”
Some psychologists use slightly different names for the traits, and it is important to note that no personality can be exclusively described by any one type, and most people have a combination. The traits are described by their most extreme expressions.
- Openness — describes a person who is open to new experiences. With a high level of the trait, they may engage in “magical thinking” and may be eccentric. When…
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