Increases In Extraversion Research Articles

Does realizing strengths, insight, and behavioral practice through a psychological intervention promote personality change? An intensive longitudinal study

The mechanisms of change underlying the effectiveness of personality change interventions are largely unclear. In this study, we used data from a three-month digital intervention with an intensive longitudinal design to test whether a greater realization of general change factors is partly responsible for personality change. Participants ( N = 679, 53.0% female; age: M = 25.3 years, SD = 7.1) seeking to increase either Emotional Stability, Conscientiousness, or Extraversion provided self-ratings on their weekly personality states and the three generic change factors of strengths, insights, and behavioral practice. We found a single-factor structure of change factors within and between individuals. Results showed within-person increases in Emotional Stability, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness states as well as increases in change factors across the intervention. Changes in personality states were coupled with changes in generic change factors. Finally, the results provide initial support for the hypothesis that the realization of general change factors is partly responsible for the effects of the intervention. Within-person increases in the change factors were associated with subsequent increases in Extraversion and Emotional Stability states during the following week. The present findings highlight the need to better understand how and why people change in personality as a result of interventions.

What do you bring to the table? Exploring psychological attributes that predict successful military training

ABSTRACT The psychological characteristics that new recruits bring when starting military basic training (MBT) may help or hinder successful completion rates. The first part of this study explores how psychological characteristics assessed at the start of MBT influence retention and performance outcomes upon completion. At the start and upon completing MBT, a sample of 204 UK male Infantry recruits undergoing a 26-week Combat Infantryman’s Course were assessed on personality traits (psychoticism, neuroticism, and extroversion); a set of relevant cognitions (i.e. effortful control); motivation (i.e. internalization of military core values); and an assessment of mentally tough behavior. Recruits who successfully completed MBT were significantly higher in age, psychoticism, and mentally tough behavior. The second part of the study explored how MBT influenced these variables across time. A subsample of 132 male Infantry recruits that passed basic military training first time were analyzed. Across the 26-week course, there was a significant increase in extraversion, and a significant decrease in neuroticism, and external regulation. Results differed slightly when we removed the lowest passing group from the analysis and whether MANOVA or Logistic Regression analysis was used. Results indicate that what you bring to the table will influence pass and retention rates.

Effect of Personality Traits and Emotion Regulation Strategies on Risky Behaviors in Adolescents.

The current study investigated the effects of personality traits and emotion regulation strategies on high-risk behaviors among adolescents (N = 1,572). This study used a cross-sectional and correlational research design. Multiple linear regression was used for analysis. A 1-unit increase in extraversion and neuroticism led to a 0.391- and 0.365-unit increase in high-risk behaviors, respectively. However, a 1-unit increase in agreeableness and conscientiousness led to a 0.307- and 0.365-unit decrease in high-risk behaviors, respectively (p < 0.05). A 1-unit increase in external and internal dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies led to a 1.34- and 0.548-unit increase in high-risk behaviors, respectively. However, a 1-unit increase in internal functional emotion regulation strategies led to a 0.641-unit decrease in high-risk behaviors (p < 0.05). Regression analysis showed that age, school type, sex, grade level, father's educational level, father's child-rearing style, and school performance were associated with more high-risk behaviors (p < 0.05). There were correlations between some personality traits, emotion regulation strategies, sociodemographic characteristics, and high-risk behaviors. Early intervention programs targeting dysfunctional personality traits and emotion regulation skills in adolescence may prevent the development of risky behaviors in adulthood. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 62(2), 23-36.].

Longitudinal relationship between psychological distress and personality traits.

Personality traits are typically assumed to predict psychological distress, with little attention paid to the potential influence of psychological distress on personality traits. Recent empirical findings, however, challenge this prevailing view by demonstrating the potential for personality traits to change and suggesting the plausible influence of chronic distress on these traits. This study aimed to examine the mutual within-person associations between psychological distress and the Big Five personality traits. The primary research question was whether a change in psychological distress is associated with a change in personality traits (and vice versa) after approximately 4years. A nationally representative sample from Australia (N=22,837), collected at four time points over 13years, was used. The random-intercept cross-lagged panel model was used to partition variance into between-person and within-person components. Results showed that there was no temporal within-person association between openness and distress. Extraversion and conscientiousness were found to have bidirectional within-person relationships with distress, suggesting that increases in extraversion and conscientiousness are associated with decreases in distress over time and vice versa. Emotional stability and agreeableness showed unidirectional relationships with distress, with increased distress predicting decreased emotional stability and increased agreeableness predicting decreased distress. Therefore, except for openness, the other traits had at least one significant within-person link to psychological distress. These findings unveil a reciprocal longitudinal linkage between personality traits and psychological distress, highlighting the potential negative impact of prolonged psychological distress on the developmental trajectory of personality traits.

Personality Traits and Physical Activity: Insights from German University Students.

This study explores the intriguing relationship between personality traits, self-rated fitness (SRF), and physical activity (PA) variables among German university students (N = 4244) and sheds light on the impact of personality on adherence to PA guidelines. Employing an online cross-sectional study, the short-form of the Big Five Inventory-2 assessed five domains of personality traits (Extraversion, Negative Emotionality, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Open-Mindedness). PA, including sitting time, was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (short-form). SRF and muscle-strengthening activities (MSA) were assessed with one item each. Multiple linear and logistic regression analyses examined associations of individual personality trait domains and all domains combined with SFR, PA variables, and adherence to PA guidelines, controlling for sociodemographic, behavioral, and (mental) health covariates. Most reliably, Extraversion and Conscientiousness revealed positive associations with PA variables, while Negative Emotionality yielded inverse relationships with PA variables. For instance, each unit increase in Extraversion corresponded to an additional 17 min of weekly MSA. On the contrary, daily sitting time was unrelated to personality. Of note, high Open-Mindedness was associated with lower odds for adhering to current PA guidelines. The findings have implications for developing targeted interventions that promote a physically active lifestyle and support students' well-being and academic success.

Development of HEXACO Personality Traits and Their Relations With Socioeconomic Factors Among Chinese Adolescents: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study

This three-wave longitudinal study investigated the stability and changes in HEXACO personality traits and tested whether socioeconomic factors relate to the initial levels and changes of personality among Chinese adolescents ( N = 1,646, Wave 1 Mage = 15.21 years). The findings revealed high rank-order stability of HEXACO personality traits. Consistent with the disruption hypothesis, latent growth modeling revealed significant decreases in Honesty-Humility and Agreeableness and a significant increase in Emotionality among boys. Findings also provided evidence contradicting the disruption hypothesis as both boys and girls exhibited an increase in Extraversion, indicating the complexity of developmental trends in personality during adolescence. Conditional latent growth modeling demonstrated that higher childhood and current family socioeconomic status were associated with higher initial levels of Extraversion, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience, and a lower initial level of Emotionality. Perceived economic inequality was related to a lower initial level of Honesty-Humility and a higher initial level of Openness to Experience. However, socioeconomic factors were not associated with the slopes of personality change. These findings highlight the need for future research to refine the disruption hypothesis and suggest that socioeconomic factors relate to the levels but not changes in personality traits during middle to late adolescence.

The Impact of School Environment on Personality Development in Adolescents: A Research Review

It is not well known how a person's sexuality and personality develop in tandem, especially throughout the critical years of adolescence when sexual behaviors in close relationships become increasingly widespread. In this paper, the researcher used a variety of longitudinal studies to examine the relationship between the maturation of a person's sense of self and their sexuality from childhood through young adulthood. Those who scored higher on the extraversion scale were also more likely to engage in traditional sexual behaviors, for instance, going out on dates. However, less conventional sexual behaviors were associated with less pleasant, less conscientious, and more neurotic personalities. In addition, the researcher uncovered evidence of correlative effects, with sexual experiences being associated with increases in extraversion and neuroticism and decreases in agreeableness. There was a genetic link between sexually typical behaviors and extroversion and a genetic link between sexually specific behaviors and affective personality traits. Common environmental influences predominantly accounted for correlations between sexually non-normative behaviors and personality and sexual behaviors and attributes linked to behavioral control. These findings draw attention to two personality processes that contribute to and shape adolescent sexual development: those governed by emotion regulation through genetics and those governed by shared environmental influences on behavioral regulation mechanisms.

Individual differences and changes in personality during the COVID‐19 pandemic

AbstractThis article reports the results of an eleven‐wave longitudinal study of personality change conducted between December 2019 and December 2022 with 1328 participants in Germany. Based on theories of personality change, we investigated trajectories of big five personality factors (i.e., extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness) across the COVID‐19 pandemic. In addition, we examined whether demographic characteristics (i.e., age, sex), self‐reported health status (i.e., physical, mental), and socioeconomic status (i.e., education, income, industry) moderated these trajectories. There was evidence for increases in extraversion, conscientiousness, and emotional stability and decreases in openness across time. The magnitude of these effects suggests between d = 0.027 to 0.138 standard deviation changes in these personality characteristics across the 3‐year timeframe of this study. Evidence for moderating effects of age, sex, health, and socioeconomic status was mixed, but indicates differential patterns of personality change for certain individuals. Overall, findings suggest that changes in big five personality factors across the COVID‐19 were present, albeit on average relatively weak, but still higher than anticipated given the timeframe. Moreover, certain demographic and health variables were associated with differential trajectories of personality over time.

Personality change through a digital-coaching intervention: Using measurement invariance testing to distinguish between trait domain, facet, and nuance change

Recent intervention research has shown that personality traits can be modified through psychological interventions. However, it is unclear whether reported effects represent changes in the trait domain or only some facets or items. Using data ( N = 552) from a recent intervention trial, the present study examined the effects of a digital-coaching intervention on self- and observer-reported personality facets and items. We focused on participants who wanted to decrease in Negative Emotionality, increase in Conscientiousness or increase in Extraversion. We used measurement invariance testing to examine which level of the trait domain hierarchy changed during the intervention. For the self-reports, we found some heterogeneity in the effects on all three trait domains, but most notably Extraversion and Conscientiousness. Specifically, participants reported to increase strongly on sociability (Extraversion), and moderately on productiveness and organization (Conscientiousness), but not on the other facets of these trait domains. Observers generally reported small but non-significant changes, with no scalar invariance violations except for Extraversion. Overall, this suggests considerable heterogeneity in intervention-related personality change that can be overlooked if only focusing on the trait domain level. We discuss the relevance of measurement invariance testing and measurement approaches for personality development and intervention research.

Personality-Related Determinants of Physical Activity Among Polish and Spanish Physical Education Students.

We aimed to analyze personality-related determinants of physical activity among Polish and Spanish physical education (PE) students. The study was conducted among 219 Polish and 280 Spanish PE students, using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the NEO-FFI Personality Inventory. Compared with Spanish PE students, their Polish counterparts are characterized by a higher level of extraversion and conscientiousness and a lower level of neuroticism. The level of total physical activity for all students was 8,697.21 METs, and this value was higher among Polish students. Among Polish and Spanish PE students, the level of total, vigorous, and moderate physical activity increased along with the increase in extraversion, while a decrease occurred along with the increase in neuroticism. The level of each domain of physical activity also increased in line with the intensification of student conscientiousness. In moderation analyses, it was shown that the home country of students may be considered a moderator of the relationship between conscientiousness and total exercise in such a way that the physical activity increased along with the increase in conscientiousness only among the Polish students. In addition, the country is a moderator of the correlation between moderate physical activity and neuroticism (p = 0.031), openness (p = 0.049), and conscientiousness (p = 0.019), with moderate activity only decreasing among Polish students and increasing along with the increase in openness and conscientiousness. Positive correlations among physical activity, extraversion, and conscientiousness, as well as negative ones with neuroticism, were demonstrated among Polish and Spanish students, and also the moderating impact of the country on the correlation between personality-related dimensions and physical activity.

Personality changes with subcallosal cingulate deep brain stimulation in patients with treatment-resistant depression.

Background:Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a promising investigational approach for treatment-resistant depression. However, reports suggesting changes in personality with DBS for movement disorders have raised clinical and ethical concerns. We prospectively examined changes in personality dimensions and antidepressant response to subcallosal cingulate (SCC)-DBS for treatment-resistant depression.Methods:Twenty-two patients with treatment-resistant depression underwent SCC-DBS. We used the NEO Five-Factor Inventory for personality assessment at baseline and every 3 months until 15 months post-DBS. We assessed depression severity monthly using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.Results:We found a significant decrease in neuroticism (p = 0.002) and an increase in extraversion (p = 0.001) over time, showing a change toward normative data. Improvement on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale was correlated with decreases in neuroticism at 6 months (p = 0.001) and 12 months (p < 0.001), and with an increase in extraversion at 12 months (p = 0.01). Changes on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale over time had a significant covariate effect on neuroticism (p < 0.001) and extraversion (p = 0.001). Baseline openness and agreeableness predicted response to DBS at 6 (p = 0.006) and 12 months (p = 0.004), respectively.Limitations:Limitations included a small sample size, a lack of sham control and the use of subjective personality evaluation.Conclusion:We observed positive personality changes following SCC-DBS, with reduced neuroticism and increased extraversion related to clinical improvement in depression, suggesting a state effect. As well, pretreatment levels of openness and agreeableness may have predicted subsequent response to DBS. The NEO Five-Factor Inventory assessment may have a role in clinical decision-making and prognostic evaluation in patients with treatment-resistant depression who undergo SCC-DBS.

Personality Development in Emerging Adulthood-How the Perception of Life Events and Mindset Affect Personality Trait Change.

Personality changes throughout the life course and change is often caused by environmental influences, such as critical life events. In the present study, we investigate personality trait development in emerging adulthood as a result of experiencing two major life events: graduating from school and moving away from home. Thereby, we examined the occurrence of the two life events per se and the subjective perception of the critical life event in terms of valence. In addition, we postulate a moderation effect of the construct of mindset, which emphasizes that beliefs over the malleability of global attributes can be seen as predictors of resilience to challenges. This suggests that mindset acts as a buffer for these two distinct events. In a large longitudinal sample of 1,243 people entering adulthood, we applied latent structural equation modeling to assess mean-level changes in the Big Five, the influence of life events per se, the subjective perception of life events, and a moderating role of mindset. In line with maturity processes, results showed significant mean-level changes in all Big Five traits. While no changes in the Big Five dimensions were noted when the mere occurrence of an event is assessed, results indicated a greater increase in extraversion and diminished increase in emotional stability when we accounted for the individual's (positive/negative) perception of the critical life event. In case of extraversion, this also holds true for the moderator mindset. Our findings contribute valuable insights into the relevance of subjective appraisals to life events and the importance of underlying processes to these events.

The relationships between Big Five Personality dimensions, harmful psychoactive substance use and academic motivation among undergraduates in Nigeria

AimsThe aim of this study was to determine the relationships between personality traits, stress perception, academic motivation and harmful use (use related harmful consequences) of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis among undergraduates in Southwestern Nigeria.MethodThe study is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among students of randomly selected tertiary institutions in south western Nigeria. Ethical approval was obtained from the Research and Ethics Commitee of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Abeokuta Ogun State Nigeria. Permission to carry out the study was sought from the University authorities. A multi-stage cluster sampling selection of 850 respondents was done. Consenting students were administered socio-demographic questionnaire, WHO student's drug use questionnaire, the Big Five Personality Inventory (BFI-44), perceived stress scale-10 and academic motivation inventory.ResultSeven hundred and eighty one completed questionnaires were analysed yielding a response rate of 92%. There were 51% males and 49% females with a mean age of 23.3 years (SD = ±2.29), from monogamous family setting 591(75%) and high socio-economic class (65.8%). Of the respondents, 24.8% reported experience of use related harmful consequences such as engaging in quarrel or argument, unprotected sex and sex regretted the next day. There were significant associations between male gender (p=&lt;0.001), urban residence (p = 0.028), polygamous family setting (p = 0.002), high socioeconomic status (p = 0.026) and use related harmful consequences.Multiple logistic regression showed that the odds of experiencing harmful consequences was less than 1 for agreeableness (OR = 0.515, df = 1, p = &lt;0.001) and openness (OR = 0.634, df = 1, p = &lt;0.028) but greater than 1 for extraversion (OR = 1.525, df = 1, p = &lt;0.036) personality dimensions. This implies that for a unit increase in agreeableness and openness scores, there were decreased odds (8.6% and 79% respectively) of experiencing harmful consequences while there was increased odd (86%) of experiencing harmful consequences from a unit increase in extraversion score.Both binary and multiple regression analysis revealed that the odds of experiencing harmful consequences is greater than 1 for perceived stress score (OR = 1.079, p = &lt;0.001) and less than 1 for academic motivation (OR = 0.975, p = &lt;0.001). This means that perceived stress is positively associated with substance use and experience of harmful consequences while academic motivation is negatively associated with substance use and experience of harmful consequencesConclusionThere were associations between certain socio-demographic factors, personality dimensions, stress perception and academic motivation with substance use and experience of harmful consequences. Thus, clinicians and researchers should consider these factors when designing preventive and treatment strategies.

Fathering Daughters and Personality

The psychology literature has shown that the big five personality traits develop over a person’s lifetime. There is some suggestive evidence that major life events such as buying a house, getting married, being fired from a job, and having children affect personality. However, these associations cannot be interpreted as causal. This is the first paper that studies the causal effect of a life event - the gender of parents' first-born child - on the big five personality trait scores of parents. Using yearly longitudinal data (2008 – 2017) I find that having a first-born daughter (instead of son) causally increases fathers' extraversion and neuroticism. I find strongly heterogeneous effects based on fathers' education level and age of the child. Interestingly, while the increased neuroticism disappears after the child is 6 years old, the increase in extraversion remains. The data suggest that the behaviors of children, such as obediency and dependency on others, likely affect fathers' personality. In line with the expectations, I find no effects on any of the personality traits of mothers.

From desire to development? A multi-sample, idiographic examination of volitional personality change

Using an idiographic-nomothetic methodology, we assessed individuals’ ability to change their personality traits without therapeutic or experimental involvement. Participants from internet and college populations completed trait measures and reported current personality change desires. Self-reported traits as well as perceptions of trait change were collected after 1-year (Internet) and 6-months (College). In large part, volitional personality change desires did not predict actual change. When desires did predict change, (a) desired increases in Extraversion, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness corresponded with decreases in corresponding traits, (b) participants perceived more change than actually occurred, and (c) decreases in Emotional Stability predicted perceptions of personality change. Results illustrate the difficulty in purposefully changing one’s traits when left to one’s own devices.

Personality and work-home interaction among dual-earner couples in South Africa: Testing an actor-partner interdependence model

This study aimed to investigate the effect of personality on work-home interaction crossover effects among dual-earner couples in South Africa. The participants were dual-earner couples (n = 264; 132 couples) with young children. They completed measures on work-home interaction and personality. Multilevel modelling was used to analyse predictions for six personality variables and four work-home interaction outcome variables. Additionally, we examined interaction effects between husbands’ and wives’ actor effects, as well as between their partner effects. Results suggest only wives’ Extraversion, Emotional Stability, and Openness positively influenced husbands’ experience of work-home interaction. Work-home personality crossover actor effects were more pronounced for wives. Partner effects were stronger for husbands in that an increase in Extraversion in wives will increase husbands’ experience of positive home-work interaction. A gendered effect appears to influence work-home interaction among South African working couples; this knowledge is important for interventions to establish balanced work and home lives.

Personality Functioning in Adolescents and Emerging Adults With Type 1 Diabetes

PurposeAlthough prior research has stressed the role of personality in adjusting to type 1 diabetes, longitudinal research is lacking. The objectives of the present study were twofold: (1) to chart the development of patients’ personality over a 2-year period; and (2) to examine prospective associations among personality, treatment adherence, glycemic control, and diabetes-specific distress. MethodsAdolescents and emerging adults with type 1 diabetes, aged 14–25 years (Mage = 18.86 years, 54% female), participated in a three-wave longitudinal study spanning 2 years (n = 560 at Time 1). Patients filled out questionnaires on Big Five personality traits, treatment adherence, and diabetes-specific distress. HbA1c values were obtained from treating physicians. We used latent growth curve modeling to examine the development of patients’ personality. Cross-lagged path analysis was performed to examine prospective associations among the study variables. ResultsFirst, we observed mean-level increases in extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness over the course of the study. Second, we uncovered bidirectional associations between personality and several important indicators of adjustment. Lower conscientiousness and higher extraversion predicted a relative decrease in treatment adherence 1 year later. Poorer treatment adherence, in turn, predicted relative decreases in conscientiousness and agreeableness over time. Furthermore, lower emotional stability predicted a relative increase in distress 1 year later. Higher distress, in turn, predicted a relative decrease in agreeableness over time. Finally, lower conscientiousness predicted poorer glycemic control 1 year later. ConclusionsThis study found young patients to move toward a more mature personality and stressed the importance of personality in adjusting to type 1 diabetes.

In your eyes only? Discrepancies and agreement between self- and other-reports of personality from age 14 to 29.

Do others perceive the personality changes that take place between the ages of 14 and 29 in a similar fashion as the aging person him- or herself? This cross-sectional study analyzed age trajectories in self- versus other-reported Big Five personality traits and in self-other agreement in a sample of more than 10,000 individuals from the myPersonality Project. Results for self-reported personality showed maturation effects (increases in extraversion, conscientiousness, openness to experience, and emotional stability), and this pattern was generally also reflected in other-reports, albeit with discrepancies regarding timing and magnitude. Age differences found for extraversion were similar between the self- and other-reports, but the increase found in self-reported conscientiousness was delayed in other-reports, and the curvilinear increase found in self-reported openness was slightly steeper in other-reports. Only emotional stability showed a distinct mismatch with an increase in self-reports, but no significant age effect in other-reports. Both the self- and other-reports of agreeableness showed no significant age trends. The trait correlations between the self- and other-reports increased with age for emotional stability, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness; by contrast, agreement regarding extraversion remained stable. The profile correlations confirmed increases in self-other agreement with age. We suggest that these gains in agreement are a further manifestation of maturation. Taken together, our analyses generally show commonalities but also some divergences in age-associated mean level changes between self- and other-reports of the Big Five, as well as an age trend toward increasing self-other agreement. (PsycINFO Database Record

Effects of psilocybin therapy on personality structure.

ObjectiveTo explore whether psilocybin with psychological support modulates personality parameters in patients suffering from treatment‐resistant depression (TRD).MethodTwenty patients with moderate or severe, unipolar, TRD received oral psilocybin (10 and 25 mg, one week apart) in a supportive setting. Personality was assessed at baseline and at 3‐month follow‐up using the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO‐PI‐R), the subjective psilocybin experience with Altered State of Consciousness (ASC) scale, and depressive symptoms with QIDS‐SR16.Results Neuroticism scores significantly decreased while Extraversion increased following psilocybin therapy. These changes were in the direction of the normative NEO‐PI‐R data and were both predicted, in an exploratory analysis, by the degree of insightfulness experienced during the psilocybin session. Openness scores also significantly increased following psilocybin, whereas Conscientiousness showed trend‐level increases, and Agreeableness did not change.ConclusionOur observation of changes in personality measures after psilocybin therapy was mostly consistent with reports of personality change in relation to conventional antidepressant treatment, although the pronounced increases in Extraversion and Openness might constitute an effect more specific to psychedelic therapy. This needs further exploration in future controlled studies, as do the brain mechanisms of postpsychedelic personality change.

Personality measures after gamma ventral capsulotomy in intractable OCD

BackgroundNeurosurgeries such as gamma ventral capsulotomy (GVC) are an option for otherwise intractable obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients. In general, clinical and neuropsychological status both improve after GVC. However, its consequences on personality traits are not well-studied. The objective of this study was to investigate personality changes after one year of GVC in intractable OCD patients. MethodsThe personality assessment was conducted using the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R) and Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) in 14 intractable OCD patients before and one year after GVC. Comparisons of personality features between treatment responders (n=5) and non-responders (n=9) were performed. Multiple linear regression was also used for predicting changes in clinical and global functioning variables. ResultsOverall, no deleterious effect was found in personality after GVC. Responders had a reduction in neuroticism (p=0.043) and an increase in extraversion (p=0.043). No significant changes were observed in non-responders. Increases in novelty seeking and self-directedness, and decreases in persistence and cooperativiness predicted OCD symptom improvement. Similary, improvement in functioning was also predicted by hgher novelty seeking and self-directedness after GVC, whereas better functioning was also associated with lower reward dependence and cooperativeness after surgery. ConclusionsThe pattern of changes in personality traits after GVC was generally towards that observed in nonclinical population, and does not raise safety concerns.