Establishing the associations between the Big Five personality traits and self-reported number of close friends: A cross-sectional and longitudinal study

Abstract

Close friends are important across the life span, who spend time together, provide support, and share happiness. But what determines the number of close friends one would have? One of the most important factors would be personality traits, which capture the most basic differences among individuals in terms of how they feel, think, and behave. This report aimed to establish the associations between the Big Five personality traits and the number of close friends cross-sectionally and longitudinally. By analyzing a cross-sectional (N = 32, 990) and longitudinal dataset (N = 22, 383) from Understanding Society: the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS), the current report found that Neuroticism has a negative connection with the number of close friends, whereas Agreeableness, Openness, and Extraversion were positively connected to the number of close friends in the cross-sectional study. In the longitudinal study, Openness was positively associated with changes in the number of close friends.