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Personality and life satisfaction: a facet-level analysis
Ulrich Schimmack1, Shigehiro Oishi, R Michael Furr
1Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. uli.schimmack@utoronto.ca
Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
|July 20, 2004
Summary
Depression and cheerfulness facets significantly predict life satisfaction, often more than broad personality traits like Neuroticism and Extraversion. These specific traits offer a refined understanding of well-being predictors.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Personality Science
- Well-being Research
Background:
- Extraversion and Neuroticism are key predictors of life satisfaction.
- These broad traits comprise more specific facets influencing outcomes.
- Understanding facet-level contributions is crucial for accurate prediction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the specific contributions of Extraversion and Neuroticism facets to life satisfaction.
- To identify which facets are the strongest predictors of life satisfaction.
- To refine the understanding of personality's role in life satisfaction.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of four independent studies.
- Examination of the predictive power of specific personality facets.
- Statistical modeling to assess variance explained in life satisfaction.
Main Results:
- The depression facet of Neuroticism and the positive emotions/cheerfulness facet of Extraversion were the strongest predictors.
- These facets often explained more variance in life satisfaction than the global traits.
- Depression was a more potent predictor than anxiety or anger; cheerfulness more than activity or sociability.
Conclusions:
- Measures of depression and positive emotions/cheerfulness are essential for predicting life satisfaction from personality.
- Specific facets provide a more nuanced and accurate prediction of life satisfaction.
- Targeting depression and promoting cheerfulness may enhance life satisfaction.