Observed globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has generated a mental health decline. The pandemic has affected the general public, individuals that have been quarantined and individuals who have been...Show moreObserved globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has generated a mental health decline. The pandemic has affected the general public, individuals that have been quarantined and individuals who have been infected with COVID-19. Currently, only a few available studies compare pandemic-onset depressive symptoms between these groups. Additionally, it is not yet known how a dominant position on the personality continuum of introversion/extraversion influences individuals’ experiences of depressive symptoms. Thus, the present study investigates differences between covid groups, as well as differences between individuals with dominant introverted versus extraverted traits. The findings will contribute to the construction of a global response in the observed mental health decline. The study is carried out through a cross-sectional online questionnaire (N = 150), in a group of adults between 18 and 30 years old. Individuals’ differences in positions on the introversion/extraversion continuum are measured using the HEXACO- PI-R. The mean PHQ-9 and HADS depression scores were observed to be 14.95/10.25 (healthy), 18.35/11.94 (quarantined), 15.64/10.25 (infected) and 15.76/11.55 (quarantined + infected) in the respective groups. No difference between covid status groups on the depression scores was found. Within the whole sample, in the healthy and quarantined + infected groups (p < 0.001), and in the PHQ-9 measured infected group (p = 0.045), significant negative relationships between extraversion and depressive symptom scores were found. These findings are limited due to small sample sizes, the cross-sectional design and the use of convenience sampling. Further studies should include larger sample sizes and make use of a longitudinal design and probability sampling.Show less
Physically attractive people are rated more favorably by others and even have higher personal and professional life success. It has been shown that clothing style and smiling influence...Show morePhysically attractive people are rated more favorably by others and even have higher personal and professional life success. It has been shown that clothing style and smiling influence attractiveness in previous research; but how about our personality traits? Crucially, our personality traits might also influence our judgements about attractiveness. Our personality traits, especially extraversion and agreeableness, may be effective on whom we find attractive and may explain the reason behind it. The present thesis aims to examine whether clothing and the facial expressions of the other person can moderate the relationship between our personality traits and judgements about attractiveness. It also aims to bring insight into when we feel ourselves attractive, and the role of the other person in the interaction. Thirty-one (N = 31) participants were recruited to examine the moderation. Participants were presented with videos of models, in two different conditions for clothing: provocatively dressed vs. conservatively and three different conditions for the facial expressions; smile, coy smile vs. neutral expression. Participants were then asked to rate the attractiveness of the person that they saw in the video and how attractive that person would find them in return. They are then asked to fill out questionnaires including the MINI-IPIP to measure extraversion and agreeableness. Moderation analyses showed that neither the clothing type, nor the facial expression of the people they are interacting with did not moderate the relationship between the personality traits and ratings of attractiveness. These findings are explained in the context of moderation models, and future research is discussed.Show less
Background: The personality factors neuroticism, conscientiousness, and extraversion, as well as threat-related attentional bias are significantly associated with anxiety disorders,...Show moreBackground: The personality factors neuroticism, conscientiousness, and extraversion, as well as threat-related attentional bias are significantly associated with anxiety disorders, transdiagnostically. Hypothesis: These personality constructs are correlated with attentional bias, and it might be through this that they create vulnerability for anxiety. Methods: The cross-sectional experimental study (N = 40) administered a dual-probe-task with neutral, mildly-threatening, and highly-threatening images. Results: Significant negative associations with big effect sizes were found between conscientiousness and attending towards threat. More conscientious individuals automatically attended away from mild-threats. Conclusion and Implications: A pathway through which conscientiousness may be acting to create vulnerability for anxiety was proposed. The goal engagement system, as hypothesized in the cognitive- motivational model by Mogg & Bradley, keeps the attention automatically on goal-related stimuli in the absence of a perceived true threat in the environment. The current study adds a new layer to this model, illustrating how intact one’s goal engagement system, even in the absence of pathologic anxiety, is on a spectrum, and can be operationalized by one’s conscientiousness level. Individuals with lower levels of conscientiousness would not have a strong goal engagement system, not resulting in an automatic avoidance of mild-threats, leading overtime to an accumulation of evidence for negative cues, making it easier to form cognitive distortions, predisposing one to anxiety. Increasing conscientiousness might be a promising psychotherapeutic target. Crucial for the anxiety-related attentional bias research field, exploratory analyses showed conscientiousness to be a more important predictor of attentional bias, compared to attentional control. Future attentional bias studies should assess conscientiousness.Show less
Our personality shapes who we are and what we feel attracted to. Several pathways connecting personality, clothing style and attractiveness rating have been proposed. Here, I examined the effect of...Show moreOur personality shapes who we are and what we feel attracted to. Several pathways connecting personality, clothing style and attractiveness rating have been proposed. Here, I examined the effect of extraversion and agreeableness on attractiveness to others, moderated by clothing style. The results showed that the effect of extraversion or agreeableness on attractiveness rating was non-significant, with no significant indication of moderation via clothing. Reasons for these discrepancies are discussed. Future research should aim to investigate the relationships between personality, clothing and attractiveness.Show less
Active listening (AL) is an important leadership skill within the workplace. It is essential to investigate a possible causal association between AL, employee well-being and other measures....Show moreActive listening (AL) is an important leadership skill within the workplace. It is essential to investigate a possible causal association between AL, employee well-being and other measures. Therefore, the main question of this research is: “What is the effect of extraversion and gender on active listening skills of leaders in organisations and how does this skill relates to employee well-being?” A questionnaire was spread among 374 Dutch employees. The results showed that AL-skills of a leader have a positive relation with employee well-being. Also, female leaders apply active listening more often compared to male leaders. The results pointed out that extraversion does not have a negative relation with the AL-skills of leaders in organisations. Furthermore, Female leaders are better at AL compared to male leaders, but this difference is not larger for non-extravert leaders compared to extravert leaders. Future longitudinal research should confirm the causality between the variables.Show less
It has been suggested that power provides both opportunities for promoting the achievement of one's own goals and responsibilities for the outcomes of those who are dependent on the power-holder....Show moreIt has been suggested that power provides both opportunities for promoting the achievement of one's own goals and responsibilities for the outcomes of those who are dependent on the power-holder. In our study we investigated whether sex and gender identity influence the construal of power as either opportunity or responsibility in a variety of power contexts, while also examining the possible moderating role of personality traits. Power was manipulated by priming participants in a high or low power condition, by requesting them to describe a situation in which they felt powerful or powerless. There were also questions about the meaning they ascribed to that power, while their gender identity was measured by a recently developed scale. Our results showed that participants in the high power condition were more likely to construe their power as both an opportunity and a responsibility than the participants in the low power condition and that femininity is associated with the construal of power as a responsibility irrespective of the level of power. Females construed their power as a responsibility more than males only when we controlled for neuroticism, openness to experience and their stability of power. Limitations and implications of the study are discussed.Show less
In this study, the potential relationship between extraversion and preference of background music during study or work time was investigated. This research was executed in order to contribute to...Show moreIn this study, the potential relationship between extraversion and preference of background music during study or work time was investigated. This research was executed in order to contribute to the lack of knowledge regarding music psychology, thereby aiming to find correlations between social cognition, specifically personality, and music. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic stressed the importance of developments in work-from-home innovations, work efficiency and well-being. Therefore, it was also aimed to find relations between the findings of this study and the practical implications regarding the pandemic. All participants engaged in a 45-60 minutes online study consisting of several questions regarding different areas of social cognition, such as cooperation, personality and rhythmic tapping. Results showed extraversion significantly influencing the preference of background music during study or work time. The higher an individual scored on the spectrum of extraversion, the more likely they are to listen to vocal, arousal-seeking music. On the other hand, the lower an individual scored on the spectrum of extraversion, the more likely they are to listen to arousal-avoiding music, if preferred to listen to music at all. Practically, extraverted individuals should listen to arousal-seeking music during work or study time and introverted individuals should listen to arousal-avoiding music or no music at all in order to improve working from home.Show less
Background: With the recent emergence of online dating as a way of initiating and establishing romantic relationships, online dating has become an important strategy for couples to meet. However,...Show moreBackground: With the recent emergence of online dating as a way of initiating and establishing romantic relationships, online dating has become an important strategy for couples to meet. However, no previous studies have thoroughly investigated the possible mediation effect of partner-perceived attractiveness between personality traits and online dating success. In this thesis, I will test whether personality traits influence partner-perceived attractiveness, and whether this assumed relationship affects online dating success. Methods: Through the use of a mediation analysis, this present study will investigate how the personality dimensions of extraversion and neuroticism are linked to attractiveness and whether a specific trait contributes to more online dating success. Results: It cannot be concluded that there is a mediating relationship between personality traits and online dating outcomes. A significant relationship was found between partner perceived attractiveness and dating success when running a linear regression, without controlling for the relationship between personality traits and online dating outcomes. Conclusion: More research needs to be done in order to differentiate between the different personality traits, and whether possessing one trait makes you a more successful online dater. Future studies can add a new dimension to the variable of partner-perceived attractiveness and look into the possible role played by self-esteem.Show less
Sleep deprivation and disturbances are a common problem among children (prevalence of 25-40 percent) and have impact on executive functioning, such as inhibition. Studies in adults demonstrated...Show moreSleep deprivation and disturbances are a common problem among children (prevalence of 25-40 percent) and have impact on executive functioning, such as inhibition. Studies in adults demonstrated that temperament influences this association. This study examined extraversion as a moderator of the association between sleep duration and inhibition in 401 school-aged children (183 boys and 218 girls) aged 9 to 12 years old. Children filled out the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised (EATQ-R) and completed a three minute version of a revised Psychomotor Vigilance Task Go/No-Go. Their parents kept a sleep log for one week. ANCOVA results showed no significant association between average sleep duration on weekdays and inhibition, neither a significant association between extraversion and inhibition. No significant interaction effect was found for average sleep duration on weekdays with extraversion on inhibition. To conclude, no relationship between sleep duration and inhibition was found. Extraversion can’t be seen as a moderator for the association between sleep duration and inhibition. In order to enhance the knowledge concerning sleep deprivation, future research should focus on the association between sleep deprivation or sleep difficulties and executive functioning, as well as temperamental traits moderating this relation.Show less
