Is It Enough to Be an Extrovert to Be Liked? Emotional Competence Moderates the Relationship Between Extraversion and Peer-Rated Likeability.

Dorota Szczygiel,Moïra Mikolajczak

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00804

Abstract

Likeability represents one of the aspects of social status in a peer group and refers to the extent to which one is accepted, preferred by others, and perceived as a likeable companion. Previous research has demonstrated that likeability is partly determined by dispositional factors. One body of research shows that variance in likeability across individuals can be traced to personality traits, mainly extraversion and agreeableness. Another expanding body of research demonstrates that success in achieving peer acceptance is determined, in some part, by the emotional competencies (ECs) of an individual. In an attempt to combine these two approaches and to clarify some inconsistencies in the results concerning the personality–likeability relationships, this study was designed to examine the interactive effect of adolescents’ personality traits (i.e., extraversion and agreeableness) and ECs on peer-rated likeability in adolescence. A sample of 230 adolescents (47% female) from two comprehensive secondary schools in Poland completed measures of personality traits and ECs, as well as a sociometric assessment of likeability in their classrooms. The results demonstrated that interpersonal EC acts as a moderator in the relationship between extraversion and peer-rated likeability. Specifically, extraversion predicted greater likeability among adolescents with high interpersonal EC but not among adolescents with low interpersonal EC. The study yielded new insights into the determinants of likeability, as it demonstrates that adolescents need to be both extrovert and possess high interpersonal EC in order to be judged highly likeable by their peers. It also bears practical implications for the improvement of adolescents’ position and acceptance within their peer group. The results suggest that encouraging “rejected” adolescents to reach out to others in an extrovert fashion is necessary but insufficient to increase their likeability. Improving their interpersonal EC is also necessary. The observation that higher levels of interpersonal EC helps adolescents to achieve higher acceptance in their peer group suggests the need to implement school training programs aimed at improving the core ECs (identification, understanding, expression, regulation and use of emotions).

Highlights

Much of human behavior is directed toward creating and maintaining social relationships with other people (Baumeister and Leary, 1995)
In order to rule out the possibility that associations between personality traits, emotional competencies (ECs) and likeability could be confounded by sociodemographic characteristics, the participants’ gender and age were entered in the first step as control variables
The present study aimed to investigate the interactive effects of personality and emotional competence on peer-rated likeability

Summary

Introduction

Much of human behavior is directed toward creating and maintaining social relationships with other people (Baumeister and Leary, 1995). Attaining high status in and being accepted by the peer group serves important functions: the social status of adolescents increases their well-being (Newcomb et al, 1993), social (Meuwese et al, 2017) and emotional (Brendgen et al, 2005) functioning, as well as successful adaptation into school (Wentzel, 2003). It increases access to potential mates and social support amidst adversity (Cillessen and Rose, 2005). It predicts future adjustment (Sandstrom and Cillessen, 2006) and better social functioning during adult life (Ostberg, 2003)

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