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Unemployment alters three personality traits

Unemployment was responsible for changes in three of the Big Five personality traits — agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association.

“The results challenge the idea that our personalities are ‘fixed’ and show that the effects of external factors such as unemployment can have large impacts on our basic personality,” Christopher J. Boyce, PhD, of the University of Stirling in the United Kingdom, said in a press release. “This indicates that unemployment has wider psychological implications than previously thought.”

Christopher J. Boyce

Boyce and colleagues assessed the personality traits of 6,769 German participants aged 17 to 61 years (3,733 men and 3,036 women) at baseline in 2005 and again in 2009. The researchers compared the personalities of participants who remained employed during the 4-year study period with those who were unemployed anywhere between 1 to 4 years (n = 210) or were unemployed less than a year, then re-employed (n = 251).

The results showed that those who experienced unemployment had changes in three of the Big Five personality traits – agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness (P < .01). Further, the researchers found that changes in personality varied between men and women and the duration of unemployment.

Men experienced an increase in agreeableness following the first 2 years of unemployment compared with men who were still employed. However, after 2 years, their levels decreased and they became less agreeable than working men. For women, agreeableness declined with every year of unemployment.

“In early employment stages, there may be incentives for individuals to behave agreeably in an effort to secure another job or placate those around them, but in later years when the situation becomes endemic, such incentives may weaken,” the researchers wrote.

The longer men were unemployed, the more their levels of conscientiousness decreased, according to results. Conscientiousness in women increased in the early years of unemployment, and then dropped off in the second and third year. The researchers suggest non–work-related activities, such as caregiving, may have contributed to these results.

“These regains may reflect a greater ease to pursue non–work-related activities congruent with traditional gender roles,” the researchers wrote.

When observing openness, men initially maintained steady levels, but as the years of unemployment continued, their mean levels decreased. Conversely, women’s openness dropped rapidly second and third years, but increased in the fourth year.

Researchers conclude that their results showed unemployment can affect an individual’s core personality.

"Public policy therefore has a key role to play in preventing adverse personality change in society through both lower unemployment rates and offering greater support for the unemployed," Boyce said in the release. "Policies to reduce unemployment are therefore vital not only to protect the economy but also to enable positive personality growth in individuals." – by Stephanie Viguers

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.