What Are the Big 5 Personality Traits?

Personality makes you who you are—it's why some people thrive in social settings while others prefer solitude. Many contemporary personality psychologists believe that there are five basic dimensions of personality, often referred to as the "Big 5" personality traits. The Big 5 personality traits, aka the five-factor model, are extraversion (also often spelled extroversion), agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism.

Extraversion is sociability, agreeableness is kindness, openness is creativity and intrigue, conscientiousness is thoughtfulness, and neuroticism often involves sadness or emotional instability.

Understanding what each personality trait is and what it means to score high or low in that trait can give you insight into your own personality—without taking a personality traits test. It can also help you better understand others, based on where they fall on the continuum for each of the personality traits listed.

History of the Big 5 Personality Theory

Trait theories of personality have long attempted to pinpoint exactly how many traits exist. Earlier theories have suggested various numbers. For instance, Gordon Allport's list contained 4,000 personality traits, Raymond Cattell whittled that list down to 16 personality factors, and Hans Eysenck proposed that there were just three.

Many researchers felt that Cattell's theory was too complicated and Eysenck's too limited in scope. As a result, the Big Five personality traits emerged, which describe the broad traits that serve as the building blocks of personality.

Several researchers support the belief that there are five core personality traits. Evidence of this theory has been growing for many years in psychology, beginning with the research of D. W. Fiske (1949) and later expanded upon by others, including Norman (1967), Smith (1967), Goldberg (1981), and McCrae & Costa (1987).

The Big 5 Personality Traits

It is important to note that each of the five primary personality traits represents a range between two extremes. For example, extraversion represents a continuum between extreme extraversion and extreme introversion. In the real world, most people lie somewhere in between.

While there is a significant body of literature supporting these primary personality traits, researchers don't always agree on the exact labels for each dimension. That said, these five traits are usually described as follows.

Openness

Openness (also referred to as openness to experience) emphasizes imagination and insight the most out of all five personality traits. People who are high in openness tend to have a broad range of interests. They are curious about the world and other people and are eager to learn new things and enjoy new experiences.

People who are high in this personality trait also tend to be more adventurous and creative. Conversely, people low in this personality trait are often much more traditional and may struggle with abstract thinking.

Conscientiousness

Conscientiousness is defined by high levels of thoughtfulness, good impulse control, and goal-directed behaviors. Highly conscientious people tend to be organized and mindful of details. They plan ahead, consider how their behavior affects others, and are conscious of deadlines.

If a person scores low on this personality trait, it might mean they are less structured and organized. They may procrastinate when it comes to getting things done, sometimes missing deadlines completely.

Extraversion

Extraversion (or extroversion) is a personality trait characterized by excitability, sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness, and high amounts of emotional expressiveness. People high in extraversion are outgoing and tend to gain energy in social situations. Being around others helps them feel energized and excited.

People who are low in this personality trait (or introverted) tend to be more reserved. They have less energy in social settings, and social events can feel draining. Introverts often require a period of solitude and quiet to "recharge."

Agreeableness

This personality trait includes attributes such as trust, altruism, kindness, affection, and other prosocial behaviors. People who are high in agreeableness tend to be more cooperative while those low in this personality trait tend to be more competitive and sometimes even manipulative.

Neuroticism

Neuroticism is a personality trait characterized by sadness, moodiness, and emotional instability. This trait is generally defined as a negative personality trait that can have detrimental effects on a person's life and well-being. Individuals who are high in neuroticism tend to experience mood swings, anxiety, irritability, and sadness.

People who are low in this personality trait tend to be more stable and emotionally resilient.

How to Use the Big 5 Personality Traits

Where you fall on the continuum for each of these five primary traits can be used to help identify whether you are more or less likely to have other more secondary personality traits. These other traits are often split into two categories: positive personality traits and negative personality traits.

Try our fast and free Big 5 personality test to find out your most dominant traits:

Positive Personality Traits

Positive personality traits are traits that can be beneficial to have. These traits may help you be a better person or make it easier to cope with challenges you may face in life. Personality traits that are considered positive include:

• Adaptable
• Ambitious
• Considerate
• Cooperative
• Friendly
• Gracious
• Humble
• Insightful
• Objective
• Optimistic
• Respectful
• Steady
• Thorough
• Well-rounded

Negative Personality Traits

Negative personality traits are those that may be more harmful than helpful. These are traits that may hold you back in your life or hurt your relationships with others. (They're also good traits to focus on for personal growth.) Personality traits that fall in the negative category include:

• Aggressive
• Arrogant
• Cold
• Deceptive
• Egotistical
• Guarded
• Intolerant
• Judgmental
• Moody
• Neglectful
• Pompous
• Selfish
• Unreliable
• Withdrawn
  

Universality of Primary Personality Traits

McCrae and his colleagues found that the Big 5 personality traits are remarkably universal. One study that looked at people from more than 50 different cultures found that the five dimensions could be accurately used to describe personality.

Based on this research, many psychologists now believe that the five personality dimensions are not only universal but that they also have biological origins.

Psychologist David Buss has proposed an evolutionary explanation for these five core personality traits, suggesting that they represent the most important qualities that shape our social landscape. Essentially, this approach argues that the Big Five traits evolved to help our ancestors survive. Having different levels of each trait may provide different evolutionary advantages depending on the situation and environment.

Factors Influencing Personality Traits

Research suggests that both biological and environmental influences play a role in shaping our personalities. Twin studies suggest that both nature and nurture play a role in the development of each of the five personality traits.

One older study of the genetic and environmental underpinnings of the five traits looked at 123 pairs of identical twins and 127 pairs of fraternal twins. The findings suggested that the heritability of each personality trait was 53% for extraversion, 41% for agreeableness, 44% for conscientiousness, 41% for neuroticism, and 61% for openness. 

Longitudinal studies also suggest that these Big Five personality traits tend to be relatively stable over the course of adulthood. One four-year study of working-age adults found that personality changed little as a result of adverse life events.

Studies show that maturation may have an impact on the five personality traits. As people age, they tend to become less extraverted, less neurotic, and less open to an experience. Agreeableness and conscientiousness, on the other hand, tend to increase as people grow older.

Takeaways

Always remember that behavior involves an interaction between a person's underlying personality and situational variables. The situation that someone finds themselves in plays a role in how they might react. However, in most cases, people offer responses that are consistent with their underlying personality traits.

These dimensions represent broad areas of personality. But personality is also complex and varied. So, a person may display behaviors across several of these personality traits.