Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 31, 2026

Brain Morphology of Cannabis Users With or Without Psychosis: A Pilot MRI Study
Published on: August 18, 2020
The genetic links between the big five personality traits and general interest domains
Christian Kandler1, Wiebke Bleidorn, Rainer Riemann
1Department of Psychology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstrasse 25, Bielefeld, Germany. christian.kandler@uni-bielefeld.de
Abstract:
This is the first genetically informative study in which multiple informants were used to quantify the genetic and environmental sources of individual differences in general interests as well as the phenotypic and genetic links between general interests and Big Five personality traits. Self-reports and two peer ratings from 844 individuals, including 225 monozygotic and 113 dizygotic complete twin pairs, were collected. Multiple-rater scores (composites) revealed that the averaged levels of genetic and environmental effects on seven broad interest domains were similar to those on personality traits. Multivariate analyses showed that about 35% of the genetic and 9% of the environmental variance in interests were explained by personality domains, in particular by Openness. The findings suggest that interests cannot easily be considered as a byproduct of the interactions between personality genotypes and the environmental influences but rather as an internal regulation of behavior with an own genetic basis.
Related Concept Videos
Five-Factor Theory of Personality
Openness reflects creativity, curiosity, and openness to new experiences. Individuals scoring high in openness are imaginative, have a wide range of interests, and are independent thinkers. Low...
Factors Influencing Attraction VI: Personality Traits
Introduction to Personality Psychology
Early Theories of Personality
The study of personality dates...
Human Genetics
The complex relationship between genetics and psychology is observable through common biological components such...
Implicit Personality Theories
Cattell's 16 Personality Factors
In contrast, source traits are the fundamental,...

