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Age differences in the Big Five across the life span: evidence from two national samples
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Cross-sectional age differences in the Big Five personality traits were investigated using 2 large datasets from Great Britain and Germany: the British Household Panel Study (BHPS; N > or = 14,039) and the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (GSEOP; N > or = 20,852). Participants, who ranged in age from 16 to the mid-80s, completed a 15-item version of the Big Five Inventory (e.g., John & Srivastava, 1999) in either 2005 or 2006. The observed age trends were generally consistent across both datasets. Extraversion and Openness were negatively associated with age, whereas Agreeableness was positively associated with age. Average levels of Conscientiousness were highest for participants in middle age. The only exception was Neuroticism, which was slightly negatively associated with age in the BHPS and slightly positively associated with age in the GSEOP. Neither gender nor education level were consistent moderators of age differences in the Big Five.
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“Birth cohort (82) and cross-national differences (83), as well as dispositional change during social upheaval (84)(85)(86)(87), also suggest that sociocultural factors influence personality.”
From Personality, Socioeconomic Status, and All-Cause Mortality in the United States (2010) · cites this paper as [82]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Donnellan, M. B., & Lucas, R. E.
- Affiliations
- Michigan State University (US)
- German Institute for Economic Research (DE)
- ORCID
- Lucas, Richard E.
- Venue
- Psychology and Aging
- Published
- 2008-09
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 558-566
- ISSN
- 0882-7974 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1498
- PMC
- PMC2562318
- OpenAlex
- W2036924469
- Cited by
- 560
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2026: 33 · 2025: 27 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 40 · 2022: 68 · 2021: 42 · 2020: 35 · 2019: 35 · 2018: 33 · 2017: 37 · 2016: 26 · 2015: 35 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 26 · 2012: 29
- FWCI
- 15.93
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Psychology and Aging (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Aging (1R03AG026028-01; 1R03AG028744-01)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Disorders and Psychopathology
- Keywords
- Big Five personality traits, age differences, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, British Household Panel Survey, German Socio-Economic Panel, gender differences, educational attainment
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Cross-Sectional Studies, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Educational Status, Female, Germany, United Kingdom, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Middle Aged, Personality, Personality Assessment, Personality Inventory, Sex Factors
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