A meta-analysis of data from three large panel studies found that extraversion, conscientiousness, and emotional stability at a given point in time predicted slightly lower levels of loneliness four years later compared to an individual’s typical levels of these traits. However, higher levels of loneliness also predicted lower levels of these same three traits four years later. The paper was published in. personality journal.
Loneliness is the painful feeling that social relationships are fewer, less intimate, or less satisfying than desired. Because this is a subjective experience, it differs from social isolation, which objectively refers to having little social contact. People can feel lonely when surrounded by others, or feel content despite spending a lot of time alone.
Loneliness may include a lack of emotional intimacy, a lack of companionship, or a feeling of not belonging to a group. Temporary loneliness is common after events such as moving, bereavement, relationship breakdown, or social conflict. Chronic loneliness is associated with depression, anxiety, sleep problems, and decreased quality of life. It can also lead to increased stress responses, unhealthy behaviors, and poor health over time. Loneliness can affect anyone, but older people, young people, carers, migrants and people with limited mobility can be particularly vulnerable.
Lucas Schellenberg, a researcher at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, and colleagues used four datasets from three large panel studies to examine the long-term relationship between loneliness and the Big Five personality traits. They examined whether changes in personality trait levels over time were associated with changes in loneliness. More specifically, we studied whether deviations from typical levels of the Big Five personality traits predicted future deviations from one’s typical levels of loneliness, and vice versa.
The Big Five is a widely used personality model that describes five broad traits: Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. Openness reflects curiosity and interest in new ideas, conscientiousness reflects organizational skills and self-control, and extraversion reflects sociability and positive emotions. Agreeableness refers to compassion, cooperation, and trust, while neuroticism reflects sensitivity to stress and negative emotions. The opposite of neuroticism is called emotional stability. The researchers hypothesized that increases in extraversion, conscientiousness, and emotional stability would be associated with lower levels of loneliness at later time points, and vice versa.
The study authors used data from three large panel studies: Health and Retirement Study (US study of adults aged 50 and older). and the Longitudinal Internet Panel for the Social Sciences (Dutch study). These studies included data from a total of 63,502 respondents. All studies were longitudinal and varied both in length and in the specific questionnaires used to assess Big 5 personality traits and loneliness.
Researchers examined the relationship between the Big 5 personality traits and loneliness over time. They found that higher levels of extraversion, conscientiousness, and emotional stability at a given point in time compared to an individual’s typical levels predicted slightly lower levels of loneliness four years later. Second, higher levels of loneliness predicted lower levels of extraversion, emotional stability, and conscientiousness 4 years later. The observed effect sizes were generally very small.
“Overall, our findings demonstrate a dynamic and reciprocal relationship between loneliness and the Big Five traits, suggesting that these traits influence and respond to loneliness,” the study authors concluded.
This study contributes to the scientific understanding of the relationship between personality traits and loneliness. However, it should be noted that all data are based on self-reporting, leaving room for reporting errors to influence the results. The study authors also note that all data comes from Western democracies, limiting the generalizability of the results to other cultural contexts.
The paper, “Identifying Robust Long-Term Transactions Between Loneliness and the Big Five Personality Traits,” was authored by Lukas Schellenberg, Wiebke Bleidorn, and Peter Haehner.
