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Can personality bridge the intention-behavior gap to predict who will exercise?
Carolyn MacCann1, Jemma Todd1, Barbara A Mullan2
1School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
American Journal of Health Behavior
|October 8, 2014
Summary
The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) effectively predicts exercise, with personality traits like honesty-humility showing minor additional influence. Personality does not significantly alter the link between exercise intention and actual behavior.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Behavioral Science
- Health Psychology
Background:
- The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is a leading model for understanding health behaviors, including exercise.
- The role of personality traits in predicting exercise behavior and bridging the intention-behavior gap requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if HEXACO personality domains enhance exercise behavior prediction beyond TPB variables.
- To assess whether personality traits moderate the intention-behavior gap in exercise.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 1017 US college students.
- Data collection included demographics, TPB constructs, HEXACO personality domains, and exercise behavior measures.
Main Results:
- TPB explained 45% of intention and 39% of exercise behavior variance.
- Lower emotionality predicted intention, and lower honesty-humility predicted behavior, with small effect sizes.
- Personality traits did not significantly moderate the intention-behavior gap.
Conclusions:
- Personality traits have a limited direct impact on predicting exercise intention and behavior when TPB is considered.
- The HEXACO model, particularly honesty-humility, offers insights into exercise behavior prediction, underscoring its importance.
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