Conscientious people and extroverts are the happiest in life, study finds
Groundbreaking research has given a rare insight into the links between personality traits and wellbeing, and it could help you live a happier life. Here’s how.
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They may be annoying to others, but i-dotters and extroverts have the secret to happiness.
World-first research reveals being conscientious and outgoing are the personality traits most closely tied to happiness, while neurotics and over-thinkers are the least likely to be content.
And it turns out modesty really is an overrated virtue, as American economist and author John Kenneth Galbraith once famously quipped.
So feel free to flout your health, wealth and beauty – if it makes you happy.
“We found modesty didn’t help people have a great life,” lead researcher Dr Jeromy Anglim said.
“It seems an inability or unwillingness to compare oneself favourably to others — whether this be in terms of income, wealth, health, physical attractiveness, or even popularity on social media — may have negative implications for wellbeing.”
The groundbreaking Deakin University research provides the most comprehensive map of the links between personality traits and wellbeing ever compiled, analysing data from more than 330,000 people in more than 400 different international studies.
“Neuroticism is the biggest cause of lower life satisfaction and lower wellbeing. That’s typically people who are stressed, anxious, negative, and ruminate on things,” Dr Anglim said.
“On the other hand, extroversion and conscientiousness are the strongest drivers of positive wellbeing.
“Extroversion has this positive bubbly emotional side, but it also has a mechanism that drives people into social situations, asserting their interests, seeking out rewards, which all make up a pathway to happiness.”
Linked to thoughtfulness, capability, purpose, diligence and determination, conscientiousness could also lead to happiness and contentment – even in introverts – because it helped people “achieve the good life”, he said.
“Conscientiousness is multifaceted . . it’s striving for achievement in life. Delaying instant gratification . . simple pleasures and working towards longer term goals. It also has an element of liking order and maybe even perfection,” Dr Anglim said.
Discovering a conscientious personality was just as strong as extroversion in determining happiness was unexpected, Dr Anglim said.
“What we can see is that, depending on your personality traits, the way you seek a happy life is different,” he said.
For example, outgoing people who loved new experiences and meeting others were more likely to find happiness through personal growth, while conscientious people tended to have more life purpose and found their hard work was its own reward, he said.
Dr Anglim said the study showed the way people experienced the world and found happiness was defined more by “what’s inside their heads” and their outlook on life than their external circumstances.
But the good news for those who cups were prone to be always half-empty rather than half-full was personality traits were not set in stone and could be changed over time, to foster happiness.
“When people consciously choose to act extroverted they actually experienced increased wellbeing,” he said.
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