Personality Traits and Life Satisfaction in Lifelong Singles
Author Information
Author(s): David Richter, Julia Stern, Michael Krämer, Alexander Schumacher, Geoff MacDonald
Primary Institution: SHARE Berlin Institute
Hypothesis
How do personality traits and life satisfaction differ between lifelong singles and partnered individuals?
Conclusion
Lifelong singles tend to have lower extraversion, conscientiousness, openness to experiences, and life satisfaction compared to partnered individuals.
Supporting Evidence
- Lifelong singles were found to be less extraverted.
- Lifelong singles showed lower levels of conscientiousness.
- Lifelong singles were less open to experiences.
- Lifelong singles reported lower life satisfaction.
- The effects were stronger for those who had never partnered than for those who had never cohabitated or married.
Takeaway
People who have never been in a romantic relationship are often less outgoing and less happy than those who have been partnered.
Methodology
The study used data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe to analyze personality traits and life satisfaction.
Limitations
The effects were moderated by factors such as gender, age, and country-level singlehood, which may limit generalizability.
Participant Demographics
Participants were individuals in retirement age from 27 countries.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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