New findings indicate that emotional stability is the strongest predictor of overall life and career satisfaction.
People who score high on surveys measuring openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and emotional stability tend to report being more satisfied with their work, social life, and more, new research suggests. and of their entire life. Further, the team noted that the link between these personality traits and life satisfaction was stable across the lifespan.
These personality traits are known collectively as the “Big Five”. According to a new study, people who are emotionally stable, conscientious and agreeable may be more satisfied with their lives.
A recent study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, evaluated the correlation between the big five personality traits: emotional stability, extroversion, conscientiousness, openness and agreeableness and satisfaction in work, in society and in life, while throughout adult life.
Previous research has found that people with certain personality traits, such as extroversion, are generally happier than others, but until now it was unclear whether this held true with age. According to the study’s findings, despite changes in living environment and experiences, the Big Five personality traits remain strongly associated with life satisfaction throughout life.
“Personality traits have remained equally relevant for life satisfaction, social life or job satisfaction throughout adult life, or have become even more interrelated in some cases for job satisfaction,” a said one of the study’s co-authors.
Our personality traits greatly influence happiness throughout our lives
To better understand how the relationship between personality and life satisfaction changes with age, the researchers assessed data from 9,110 Dutch people. Over an 11-year period, the participants, aged 16 to 95, completed multiple surveys on their personality traits – openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and emotional stability/neuroticism and on their satisfaction with their social relationships, their careers and their lives.
The team found that the link between personality traits and life satisfaction was stable across the lifespan, meaning that regardless of age, personality traits continue to change. strongly influence overall life satisfaction.
Emotional stability, which helps people see the world in a less negative light, was the strongest predictor of happiness. The results indicate that emotional stability, a trait related to stress management, emotion regulation, and flexibility in the face of challenges and change is the strongest predictor of overall life satisfaction and of the career.
The team also found that different character traits had a greater impact on different facets of life: conscientiousness, for example, was more closely related to job satisfaction, while extroversion and agreeableness had a greater impact on different facets of life. greater effect on social satisfaction.
People who, as they aged, scored higher on one of the Big Five personality traits generally experienced more satisfaction later in life, suggesting that our personality traits are not set in stone. This phenomenon is particularly marked for openness: people who became more open as they aged experienced the largest increases in life satisfaction. Open people tend to be imaginative, curious and creative. If there are good opportunities around the corner, they are more likely to find and welcome them.
In addition, the relationship between emotional stability and job satisfaction has strengthened with age, which the researchers believe is explained by the fact that older people are more willing to leave unsatisfying jobs. and to apply for more challenging jobs. Thus, emotional stability interacts with the professional environment to increasingly contribute to our satisfaction in this area of life. According to the researchers, more research is needed to understand how other factors such as income, marital status, occupational status and health influence both personality traits and life satisfaction across the lifespan. our life.
Personality remains an important, but malleable, element of happiness
Personality traits tend to remain stable but may change over the lifespan. As adolescents age and gain biological maturity, for example, they tend to become more emotionally stable, which can increase their life satisfaction.
The environment and lived experiences can have a profound impact on individuals’ behaviors, personality traits and emotions and, therefore, on their satisfaction with life.
The researchers gave the following example: club membership, for example, can enhance a person’s extroversion and make them more socially satisfied. Conversely, a problematic romantic relationship could lead to more negative personality changes, such as a decline in emotional stability, which would decrease life satisfaction.
Research suggests that people can influence and change their personality. If we try to become more curious, more outgoing, or more disciplined—to name a few examples—it could also increase our happiness. Another tactic is to study his personality and find activities that match his character traits, which can also help increase his happiness.
While individuals can always seek to develop new skills, such as extroversion, ease in new situations, emotional stability, and agreeableness, it is also possible to explore the types of spaces that will help you flourish as you are.
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A new study has assessed the impact of our personality traits on happiness and found that emotionally stable, conscientious and agreeable people tend to be more satisfied with their lives. Furthermore, while our personality retains the same influence on life satisfaction throughout life, personality traits can and do change with age.