Shots of Science Vs Personality Tests: Can Science Tell Us Who We Are?
Feb 17, 2024
Join Michelle Dang, an insightful producer and reporter, and Ted Schwabe, a personality psychologist from Michigan State University, as they dive into the science of personality. Discover how the Big Five traits—agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, extraversion, and neuroticism—shape our lives. They explore how personality can predict life outcomes, the surprising links between neuroticism and health risks, and even how big life events can change who we are. Plus, learn about innovative personality coaching interventions that can lead to lasting change!
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Five Universal Personality Dimensions
- Researchers reduced thousands of personality descriptors into five broad traits that apply across many cultures.
- The Big Five captures major personality dimensions without forcing people into rigid categories.
What Each Big Five Trait Means
- The Big Five are agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, extraversion, and neuroticism.
- Each trait is a spectrum and describes tendencies like creativity, organization, sociability, and emotional vigilance.
Personality Predicts Real-Life Outcomes
- Personality predicts life outcomes such as marriage, divorce, health, and job milestones.
- Large-scale data show neuroticism strongly correlates with higher mortality, dementia, and chronic conditions.