Psych: Traits

"What" vs. "why"

Trait theory describes what you are like and measures it reliably, but it says less about why you became that way.

Openness

Low: Conventional, prefers the familiar

High: Curious, creative, open to new ideas

Conscientiousness

Low: Spontaneous, laid-back, disorganized

High: Organized, disciplined, makes and follows plans

Extraversion

Low: Reserved, reflective, prefers small groups

High: Outgoing, talkative, energized by people

Agreeableness

Low: Competitive, skeptical, blunt

High: Cooperative, trusting, compassionate

Neuroticism

Low: Calm, emotionally stable

High: Anxious, moody, easily stressed

Big 5 predicts health

Physical and mental health

Big 5 predicts grades

Conscientiousness predicts college GPA about as well as intelligence

Big 5 predicts job performance

Especially conscientiousness

Big 5 predicts romantic relationships

Romantic satisfaction is linked to partners' traits

Social media

How you use Facebook and other platforms

Friendly and conventional regions

Midwest and South: higher extraversion and agreeableness, lower openness.

Relaxed and creative regions

West Coast and Rockies: high openness, low neuroticism.

Temperamental and uninhibited

Northeast and mid-Atlantic (including D.C.): higher neuroticism and openness.

The maturity principle

Most people become more conscientious and agreeable and less neurotic with age, especially in their 20s.

Therapy changes traits

A review of 207 studies found interventions lowered neuroticism, often within about 24 weeks

You can choose

Students who set specific goals to change a trait showed some change in one semester