Changes in personality traits linked to significant life outcomes

New research published in the Journal of Personality & Social Psychology found that stable personality traits not only predict important life outcomes like health, happiness, and career success, but that even small changes in our personality over time can shape our future in meaningful ways.

Personality traits, defined as enduring characteristics that influence how we think, feel, and behave, are pivotal in predicting a range of life outcomes. The Big Five personality framework—encompassing openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism—is often used to study these traits. Recent research has begun to explore not just how these traits predict outcomes, but also how changes in these traits over time might similarly impact future outcomes.

In this study, researchers Amanda J. Wright and Joshua J. Jackson analyzed data from seven longitudinal datasets involving 81,980 participants to explore how changes in the Big Five personality traits affect life outcomes in health, education, career, finance, relationships, and civic engagement.

The datasets include the German Socioeconomic Panel (GSOEP), Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA), Health and Retirement Study (HRS) from the U.S., Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences (LISS) from the Netherlands, Midlife in the United States (MIDUS), National Longitudinal Survey of Youth—Children and Young Adults (NLSY-CYA), and the Swiss Household Panel (SHP), which began collection from 1984 onwards. These studies provide updates ranging from annually to biennially, capturing data across up to fourteen waves, with at least two waves of personality assessments.

Various outcomes were measured to gauge the broad impact of personality changes. Health metrics included self-reported health status, BMI, number of health issues, and exercise habits. The study also examined marital and divorce statuses and number of marriages. Educational outcomes were assessed by the attainment of at least a 4-year degree, while career impacts focused on unemployment status. Financial metrics looked at annual salary and financial security, and civic involvement was measured by volunteerism.

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Outcomes were standardized and assessed against the final wave of personality data to minimize variance due to timing. The study controlled for initial levels of both personality traits and outcomes.

Numerous findings emerged. Changes in traits such as conscientiousness and neuroticism showed a relationship with health behaviors and statuses. For example, increases in conscientiousness were associated with improvements in self-reported health and more frequent engagement in exercise. A decrease in neuroticism was associated with fewer reported mental health issues.

Personality changes were also relevant in the context of personal relationships. For instance, increases in agreeableness predicted higher marital satisfaction and stability, whereas decreases in neuroticism were associated with lower divorce rates.

Further, changes in extraversion and conscientiousness had implications for career satisfaction and employment status. Individuals who showed an increase in conscientiousness were less likely to be unemployed over time. Similarly, changes in personality traits impacted financial security, with increased conscientiousness leading to better financial management and stability.

Changes in openness to experience were positively correlated with higher educational attainment. In terms of civic engagement, increases in agreeableness and conscientiousness predicted a higher likelihood of volunteering.

This study effectively demonstrates that changes in personality traits can meaningfully influence various aspects of life, ranging from health and relationships to career and civic engagement.

One limitation is the varying scales and intervals between assessments across different datasets, which could have introduced inconsistencies in measuring the changes and outcomes.

The study, “Do changes in personality predict life outcomes?”, was authored by Amanda J. Wright and Joshua J. Jackson.