The Big Five personality factors and their associations with self-rated happiness among a sample of undergraduates

Document Type : Original Article

Abstract

The objectives of the present study were (a) to explore the associations between personality and happiness, and (b) to estimate personality factors predicting happiness. A sample of undergraduates (N = 1,418) was recruited. They responded to the self-rating scale of happiness and the Arabic Big Five Personality Inventory. Results indicated that men obtained significantly higher mean total scores than did their female counterparts on happiness, extraversion, openness, and conscientiousness. On the other hand women obtained significantly higher mean total scores on neuroticism and agreeableness than did their male peers. All the Pearson correlations between happiness and personality were statistically significant except one. All the correlations were positive except with neuroticism (negative). Principal components analysis extracted two salient components among men and women and labeled “Happiness and extraversion versus neuroticism”, and “Positive personality traits”. Regression analysis indicated that the predictors of happiness among men were all the Big Five factors except openness, whereas the predictors in women were (lack of) neuroticism, conscientiousness, and extraversion. The aforementioned personality factors explained 29 % and 30 % in men and women, respectively in happiness scores. These results refer to the importance of personality factors in happiness scores. It was recommended that the intervention to ameliorate neuroticism may improve happiness level among college students with high neuroticism score.

Keywords

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics