Personality traits & personality types: What is personality?
By Stephanie Pappas July 01, 2021
What makes each person unique can't be broken down into just a few personality types.
What makes someone who they are? Each person has an idea of their own personality type — if
they are bubbly or reserved, sensitive or thick-skinned. Psychologists who try to tease out the
science of who we are define personality as individual differences in the way people tend to
think, feel and behave.
You'll find many quizzes and tests online that claim to measure personality. Most of these are
supported by very little evidence, and if you run across a system that claims to break all of
humanity into just a handful of categories, it's safe to say it's probably oversimplified. Instead
of trying to break people into "types," psychologists focus on personality traits. Each trait
occurs along a spectrum and traits are independent of one another, making for an infinite
constellation of human personality.
The traits with the strongest research backing them are the Big Five:
Openness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism
Conveniently, you can remember these traits with the handy OCEAN mnemonic (or, if you
prefer, CANOE works, too).
Openness is shorthand for "openness to experience." People who are high in openness enjoy
adventure. They're curious and appreciate art, imagination and new things. The motto of the
open individual might be, "variety is the spice of life."
People low in openness are just the opposite: They prefer to stick to their habits, avoid new
experiences and probably aren't the most adventurous eaters.
Openness might correlate with verbal intelligence and knowledge acquisition over the lifespan,
according to a 2011 study in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology. People
high in openness enjoy novelty, which might motivate them to keep learning new things as they
grow older.
CONSCIENTIOUSNESS
People who are conscientious are organized and have a strong sense of duty. They're
dependable, disciplined and achievement-focused. You won't find conscientious types jetting
off on round-the-world journeys without an itinerary; they're planners.
People low in conscientiousness are more spontaneous and freewheeling. At the extreme, they
may tend toward carelessness. Conscientiousness is a helpful trait to have, as it has been linked
to achievement in school and on the job.
EXTRAVERSION
Extraversion versus introversion is possibly the most recognizable personality trait of the Big
Five. The more of an extravert someone is, the more of a social butterfly they are. Extraverts
are chatty, sociable and draw energy from crowds. They tend to be assertive and cheerful in
their social interactions.
Introverts, on the other hand, need plenty of alone time. Introversion is often confused with
shyness, but the two aren't the same. Shyness implies a fear of social interactions or an inability
to function socially. Introverts can be perfectly charming at parties — they just prefer solo or
small-group activities.
AGREEABLENESS
Agreeableness measures the extent of a person's warmth and kindness. The more agreeable
someone is, the more likely they are to be trusting, helpful and compassionate. Disagreeable
people are cold and suspicious of others, and they're less likely to cooperate.
As you might imagine, agreeableness has its benefits. In a 25-year study published
in Developmental Psychology in 2002, agreeable kids had fewer behavioral problems than kids
low in agreeableness, and agreeable adults had less depression and greater job stability than
adults who were low in agreeableness.
But being agreeable isn't always rewarded. A 2011 study found that disagreeable men outearn
agreeable men. (Disagreeable women, on the other hand, didn't see much of a salary boost,
possibly because people judge no-nonsense women more harshly than they do no-nonsense
men, the study researchers said.) A 2018 study published in Personnel Psychology suggested
that disagreeable men may pitch in less at home, allowing them to devote more time and energy
to their work and thus make more than agreeable guys.
NEUROTICISM
To understand neuroticism, look no further than George Costanza of the long-running sitcom
"Seinfeld." George is famous for his neuroses, which the show blames on his dysfunctional
parents. He worries about everything, obsesses over germs and disease and once quits a job
because his anxiety over not having access to a private bathroom is too overwhelming.
People high in neuroticism worry frequently and easily slip into anxiety and depression. If all is
going well, neurotic people tend to find things to worry about. One 2012 study found that when
neurotic people with good salaries earned raises, the extra income actually made them less
happy. Because people high in neuroticism tend to experience a lot of negative emotion,
neuroticism plays a role in the development of emotional disorders.
In contrast, people who are low in neuroticism tend to be emotionally stable and even-keeled.
