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Refining the relationship between personality and subjective well-being.
Piers Steel1, Joseph Schmidt, Jonas Shultz
1Human Resources and Organisational Dynamics, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Piers.Steel@Haskayne.UCalgary.ca
Psychological Bulletin
|January 16, 2008
Summary
Personality traits significantly predict subjective well-being (SWB), with specific measures revealing stronger relationships than previously thought. Accounting for scale differences enhances understanding of personality
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Behavioral Science
- Personality Psychology
Background:
- Subjective well-being (SWB) is a key area of study across multiple disciplines.
- Previous research identified personality traits as strong predictors of SWB.
- Existing meta-analyses suggest a moderate, potentially underestimated, relationship between personality and SWB.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address the issue of scale commensurability in meta-analyses of personality and SWB.
- To re-evaluate the relationship between specific personality measures and SWB categories.
- To determine the variance accounted for by personality traits in SWB using a multivariate approach.
Main Methods:
- Review and analysis of individual personality measures (e.g., Neuroticism-Extroversion-Openness Personality Inventory).
- Examination of distinct categories of subjective well-being (e.g., life satisfaction).
- Multivariate assessment of personality traits' individual and combined predictive power on SWB.
Main Results:
- Significant substantive differences exist between various personality and SWB scales.
- The relationship between specific personality traits and SWB is substantially larger than previously indicated by meta-analyses (up to 4 times greater).
- Personality traits can account for up to 39% or 63% (disattenuated) of the variance in SWB.
Conclusions:
- The commensurability of scales is a critical factor influencing meta-analytic findings on personality and SWB.
- More precise measurement and analysis reveal a much stronger link between personality and subjective well-being.
- Future meta-analyses should account for scale differences to accurately reflect the personality-SWB relationship.
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