Reserved by nature? Or rather extroverted? What if we told you that certain personality traits were linked to your current romantic situation? This is precisely what researchers from the University of Toronto (Canada) wanted to demonstrate in a study published on February 7, 2024 in the journal
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
.
For the purposes of this study, 1,800 people aged 20 to 59, single or in a relationship for at least six months (for both cases), were interviewed. Each of them answered a questionnaire relating to their personality and their levels of satisfaction regarding their relationship status, their sexual fulfillment and their overall position in life.
To carry out their work, the researchers used the “Big-5” model which identifies five personality traits: openness (a desire for daily discovery), conscientiousness (a keen sense of thoughtfulness), extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism (people who are naturally anxious and vulnerable to depression).
Extroverts are more likely to be in relationships
Researchers have observed that individuals in relationships are more extroverted than single people. Introverted people, on the other hand, have a “greater ability to enjoy solitude,” which “suggests a better ability to capitalize on alone time in a positive way.” As such, they can make celibacy a “means of benefiting from independence and solitude,” the researchers argue.
Conscientious individuals more in relationships
Researchers have also noticed single people are less conscientious. Elaine Hoan, a doctoral student in psychology at the University of Toronto, clarifies in a press release: "conscientious people are more likely to be goal-oriented, such as finding a job and getting married, which can fuel their desire and their ability to initiate and engage in a serious romantic relationship.
“Neurotic” people, more inclined to celibacy
In their work, the researchers observed higher neuroticism scores among single people. “Depressive symptoms like sadness and low energy can make it more difficult to pursue and maintain a relationship, while the emotional support you receive in a romantic relationship could reduce these symptoms,” says the doctoral student in the Press release.
The openness and agreeableness found in people in couples and singles
The researchers observed no significant link between each of these two personality traits and the romantic situation of the individuals surveyed. Previous work carried out in 1992 and 2022 had already established no link. “Openness to experience was associated with greater relationship duration among partnered individuals and among singles, with a preference for singleness.”