Personality traits in relation to mindful eating among university students in Türkiye

Personality traits influence eating behaviors and dietary quality, and given the high prevalence of unhealthy eating habits among university students and the benefits of mindful eating, the relationship between personality dimensions and mindful eating in this population represents an area requiring further research. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between personality traits and mindful eating behaviors in university students.

This cross-sectional study conducted in Türkiye via an online survey from October to November 2025 involved 875 university students (80.1% women). Participants completed the Big Five Inventory-10 and the Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ) to enable the assessment of personality characteristics and mindful eating behaviors, respectively.

Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis showed that, after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, and income/expenditure status, the Big Five personality traits were significantly associated with both total and subscale mindful eating scores, explaining an additional 2.4%-10.5% of the variance beyond the covariates (all ΔR² p < 0.001). For the total MEQ score, the final model explained 14.8% of the variance. Higher agreeableness (β = 0.125, p < 0.001), conscientiousness (β = 0.129, p < 0.001), and openness to experience (β = 0.106, p = 0.002) were significantly associated with higher total MEQ scores, whereas higher neuroticism was associated with lower total MEQ scores (β = -0.177, p < 0.001). Extraversion was not significantly associated with the total MEQ score.

These findings suggest that mindful eating tendencies in university students may be associated with specific personality profiles, with greater agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience being associated with more mindful eating behaviors, while neuroticism may be associated with less adaptive patterns. Future longitudinal and intervention studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of personality-tailored mindful eating interventions.