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Updated: May 22, 2025
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Published on: February 3, 2023
903
Consistency and Variation in Natural Selection on Personality Across 17 Countries
1Institute of Criminological and Sociological Research, Belgrade, Serbia.
Summary
Natural selection influences personality traits, with conscientiousness positively linked to reproductive success. However, openness above average was associated with lower reproductive success, indicating complex evolutionary dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary psychology
- Behavioral genetics
- Human evolution
Background:
- The evolutionary significance of personality traits remains underexplored.
- Understanding natural selection's impact on personality is crucial for evolutionary studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of natural selection on the Big Five personality traits.
- To analyze the relationship between personality characteristics and reproductive success across diverse countries.
Main Methods:
- Utilized World Values Survey wave 6 data (N=22,636) from 17 countries.
- Employed multilevel Poisson regression models with random slopes to estimate associations.
- Conducted graphical and ANOVA analyses to explore nonlinear relationships.
Main Results:
- A positive linear association was found between conscientiousness and reproductive success.
- A nonlinear association for openness was observed, with above-average openness linked to lower reproductive success.
- Effect sizes for personality-fitness associations were generally small, with cross-country variations in selection gradients for extraversion, neuroticism, and openness.
Conclusions:
- Natural selection acts on personality traits, but effect sizes are modest.
- Environmental factors may moderate the personality-fitness link, preserving behavioral variation.
- Findings support state-dependent models of personality evolution, highlighting the role of environmental context.
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