Low Levels Of Neuroticism Research Articles

Transferability of the competences acquired in the elite athlete career to the project manager role analysis

What personal competences of successful project managers are determined by their former career as an elite athlete? To answer the question, comprehensive research is carried out, implemented as part of the EEIG-EU/P-Kr/06.12/23 project. The primary aim is to establish conclusively which particular personality traits, identified and analysed using the Big Five Inventory-2 and supplemented by structured interviews, directly contribute to the success of former elite athletes transitioning into roles as effective project managers. We found that successful project managers who were also elite athletes possess personality traits that can be identified as positive determinants of success in either sport or professional careers. Among these personality traits, we can include a low level of neuroticism and a high level of conscientiousness, then extraversion and agreeableness. This paper contributes to a nuanced understanding of how the realms of sports and management intersect and overlap. The presented paper can serve as a basis for further research in the field of personality psychology and management studies.

A genome-wide association study of occupational creativity and its relations with well-being and career success

Creativity is one defining characteristic of human species. There have been mixed findings on how creativity relates to well-being, and little is known about its relationship with career success. We conduct a large-scale genome-wide association study to examine the genetic architecture of occupational creativity, and its genetic correlations with well-being and career success. The SNP-h2 estimates range from 0.08 (for managerial creativity) to 0.22 (for artistic creativity). We record positive genetic correlations between occupational creativity with autism, and positive traits and well-being variables (e.g., physical height, and low levels of neuroticism, BMI, and non-cancer illness). While creativity share positive genetic overlaps with indicators of high career success (i.e., income, occupational status, and job satisfaction), it also has a positive genetic correlation with age at first birth and a negative genetic correlation with number of children, indicating creativity-related genes may reduce reproductive success.

Reliability and Validity of Ecological Momentary Assessment Response Time-Based Measures of Emotional Clarity: Secondary Data Analysis.

Emotional clarity has often been assessed with self-report measures, but efforts have also been made to measure it passively, which has advantages such as avoiding potential inaccuracy in responses stemming from social desirability bias or poor insight into emotional clarity. Response times (RTs) to emotion items administered in ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) may be an indirect indicator of emotional clarity. Another proposed indicator is the drift rate parameter, which assumes that, aside from how fast a person responds to emotion items, the measurement of emotional clarity also requires the consideration of how careful participants were in providing responses. This paper aims to examine the reliability and validity of RTs and drift rate parameters from EMA emotion items as indicators of individual differences in emotional clarity. Secondary data analysis was conducted on data from 196 adults with type 1 diabetes who completed a 2-week EMA study involving the completion of 5 to 6 surveys daily. If lower RTs and higher drift rates (from EMA emotion items) were indicators of emotional clarity, we hypothesized that greater levels (ie, higher clarity) should be associated with greater life satisfaction; lower levels of neuroticism, depression, anxiety, and diabetes distress; and fewer difficulties with emotion regulation. Because prior literature suggested emotional clarity could be valence specific, EMA items for negative affect (NA) and positive affect were examined separately. Reliability of the proposed indicators of emotional clarity was acceptable with a small number of EMA prompts (ie, 4 to 7 prompts in total or 1 to 2 days of EMA surveys). Consistent with expectations, the average drift rate of NA items across multiple EMAs had expected associations with other measures, such as correlations of r=-0.27 (P<.001) with depression symptoms, r=-0.27 (P=.001) with anxiety symptoms, r=-0.15 (P=.03) with emotion regulation difficulties, and r=0.63 (P<.001) with RTs to NA items. People with a higher NA drift rate responded faster to NA emotion items, had greater subjective well-being (eg, fewer depression symptoms), and had fewer difficulties with overall emotion regulation, which are all aligned with the expectation for an emotional clarity measure. Contrary to expectations, the validities of average RTs to NA items, the drift rate of positive affect items, and RTs to positive affect items were not strongly supported by our results. Study findings provided initial support for the validity of NA drift rate as an indicator of emotional clarity but not for that of other RT-based clarity measures. Evidence was preliminary because the sample size was not sufficient to detect small but potentially meaningful correlations, as the sample size of the diabetes EMA study was chosen for other more primary research questions. Further research on passive emotional clarity measures is needed.

Exploring the impact of negative online feedback on well-being: A comprehensive analysis incorporating Big-Five personality traits and physiological responses

This study investigates the dynamics between social media engagement and well-being, employing a multi-dimensional analysis encompassing psychological, behavioral, social media usage patterns, and physiological perspectives. Through the utilization of electrodermal activity, our study identified a statistically significant increase following exposure to a negative comment. In addition, analysis of facial expressions revealed a variety of reactions, including laughter, irritation, sadness, and neutrality, once participants were confronted with the negative comment. Our analysis revealed intriguing insights into the relationship between personality traits and social media interactions. We observed that individuals with higher agreeableness were more likely to contemplate deactivating social media platforms. Conversely, lower levels of neuroticism were associated with self-reported social media addiction, while extraversion showed a positive correlation with increased posting frequency. These findings highlight the intricate relationship between individual personality traits and reactions to negative social media experiences, offering valuable insights into the complex dynamics of online interactions and their effects on overall well-being.

The Depressiveness, Quality of Life and NEO-FFI Scale in Patients with Selected Genodermatoses.

Background: Dermatological conditions extend beyond physical symptoms, profoundly impacting the psychological well-being of patients. This study explores the intricate relationship between depressive symptoms, quality of life (QoL), and personality traits in individuals diagnosed with specific genodermatoses. Methods: The study cohort comprised 30 patients with genodermatoses treated at the dermatology clinic, and a healthy control group. Standardized survey questionnaires: The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI), and NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) were employed for assessments. Results: The findings indicate a significantly elevated risk of severely or very severely reduced QoL in the study group compared to matched controls (OR = 22.2, 95% CI: 2.7-184.8). Specifically, individuals with ichthyosis exhibited a staggering 131-fold higher risk of diminished QoL compared to the control group. Furthermore, the prevalence of depression was higher in the study group than in the control group (36.7% vs. 10%; p = 0.0086). A detailed analysis revealed that patients with low or average agreeableness exhibited a notably higher incidence of depression compared to those with high agreeableness (100% or 75% vs. 28.6%; p = 0.0400). Similarly, individuals with high levels of neuroticism had a significantly higher incidence of depression compared to those with average or low levels of neuroticism (rates: 66.7% vs. 9.1% or 0%, respectively; p = 0.0067). Conclusions: The study underscores a substantial correlation between genodermatoses and the mental health of affected individuals, underscoring the imperative consideration of psychological factors in the management of hereditary skin disorders. Our study's primary limitation is the small sample size, stemming from difficulties in recruiting participants due to the rare nature of the studied conditions.

Effects on Status Striving: How Self-Perceived Value, Self-Esteem, and Personality Traits Impact Preferred Status

Prior research shows that despite the belief that humans universally desire high status in group settings (i.e., leadership roles), individuals with low self-perceived value (SPV) perceive themselves as being unable to make meaningful contributions to the group’s success. Thus, they prefer low status to conform to the external social pressure of other group members’ expectations. Yet, internal factors such as self-esteem and personality traits may also shape individuals’ preferred status by buffering the effects of external factors. To examine these hypotheses, two studies were conducted, in which the participants’ self-perceived value and self-esteem were manipulated. The results from these studies were consistent with previous studies, showing that participants with higher SPV preferred and expected higher status than participants with lower SPV. Moreover, individuals’ personality traits predicted the status they preferred and expected: more extroverted participants preferred and expected higher status than less extroverted participants, while participants with higher levels of neuroticism preferred and expected lower status than participants with lower levels of neuroticism. Participants with higher self-esteem were also more likely to prefer and expect higher status. Lastly, low self-esteem was associated with lower preferred status for participants with low SPV, but not high SPV. Because self-esteem is correlated with individuals’ socioeconomic status (SES), this study further highlights the need to address the self-esteem gap between individuals in high and low SES to prevent pre-established social hierarchies from perpetuating.

Personality Determinants Related to the Use of Selective and Effective Dietary Supplements by Elite Polish Team Sport Athletes.

The purpose of this research was to analyse relationships between personality traits and the use of selected dietary supplements among Polish athletes training in team sports. This subject matter has not been explored in prior research. This research was carried out among a group of 213 athletes (men) in the 18-36 age range, with the implementation of a proprietary validated questionnaire for the use of dietary supplements and the NEO-PI-R inventory (Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness Personality Inventory-Revised). Statistical analyses were performed with the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests, assuming the following level of significance: α = 0.05. It was shown that athletes who periodically and regularly consumed isotonic drinks, as well as energy bars and gels, were characterised by a lower level of neuroticism than those who did not consume them. Athletes who periodically took multivitamin preparations were characterised by a lower level of extraversion and openness, and those periodically using multimineral preparations were characterised by a higher level of agreeableness than those who did not use these agents. Athletes not taking creatine were characterised by the lowest level of conscientiousness among the study participants. The use of protein nutrients, probiotics and caffeine was not associated with any personality traits in the athletes. Further relationships of the Big Five personality traits were demonstrated with the use of effective dietary supplements by athletes; the most unambiguous correlations were described for neuroticism and conscientiousness in such a way that the use of isotonic drinks, as well as energy bars and gels, was connected with a low level of neuroticism, while the use of creatine was connected with high conscientiousness.

The association between AD biomarkers and neuropsychiatric symptoms in subjective cognitive decline; the SCIENCe project

AbstractBackgroundNeuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are increasingly recognized as non‐cognitive manifestation of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the relationship between AD‐related pathology and NPS remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the cross‐sectional association between Alzheimer biomarkers and neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) presenting at a memory clinic. In addition, we evaluated personality traits and education as potentially modifying factors of this association.MethodWe included 346 individuals with SCD (age: 62.9±7.8) from the SCIENCe cohort, including 92 amyloid positive participants (age: 66.4±7.0, Female: 44.6%, MMSE: 28.5±1.3) and 254 amyloid negative participants (age: 61.6±7.7, Female: 40.6%, MMSE: 28.6±1.3). Amyloid status was determined by amyloid PET or CSF biomarkers according to visual read or established cut points. Neuropsychiatric symptoms were assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS; n = 282), the Center for Epidemiological Studies‐Depression (CES‐D; n = 225), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale – anxiety subscale (HADS‐A; n = 225) and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI‐Q; n = 198). We used linear regression analyses, adjusted for age and sex, to assess the association between amyloid status and NPS. In secondary analyses, we tested for interactions between amyloid status and (1) neuroticism (Dutch Personality Questionnaire), (2) somatization, (Four‐Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire), and (3) educational level (Dutch Verhage scale).ResultAmyloid status was not associated with GDS, CES‐D, HADS‐A and NPI‐Q scores in univariable analyses. When we evaluated effect modification, we found an interaction between amyloid status and neuroticism in the association with NPI‐Q (p&lt;0.05), indicating a positive association between amyloid status and NPS in participants with a low level of neuroticism (β: 2.56±2.24), and a negative association in participants with a high level of neuroticism (β: ‐4.09±3.23).ConclusionIn this cross‐sectional analysis in individuals with SCD, amyloid status was hardly associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms. In future studies, we focus on amyloid status as determinant of change in NPS over time.

Association between personality traits and smoking cessation among Chinese adults

BackgroundAlthough the tobacco epidemic is one of the greatest public health threats, the smoking cessation rate among Chinese adults is considerably lower. Personality information may indicate which treatments or interventions are more likely to be effective. China is the largest producer and consumer of tobacco worldwide. However, little is known about the association between smoking cessation and personality traits in China.AimThis study aimed to examine the association between successful smoking cessation and personality traits among Chinese adults.MethodsThis cross-sectional study used data from the 2018 China Family Panel Studies. Probit regression models were employed to analyze the association between successful smoking cessation and personality traits stratified by sex.ResultsLower scores for neuroticism (Coef.=-0.055, p < 0.1), lower scores for extraversion (Coef.=-0.077, p < 0.05), and higher scores for openness to experience (Coef.=0.045, p < 0.1) predicted being a successful male quitter after adjusting for demographics. Moreover, lower scores for conscientiousness (Coef.=-0.150, p < 0.1) predicted being a successful female quitter after adjusting for demographics.ConclusionThe empirical findings suggested that among Chinese men, lower levels of neuroticism, lower levels of extraversion, and higher levels of openness to experience were associated with a higher likelihood of smoking cessation. Moreover, lower levels of conscientiousness were associated with successful smoking cessation among Chinese women. These results showed that personality information should be included in smoking cessation interventions.

Exploring Correlates of Student Preferences for Virtual or In-Class Learning among Neurodiverse Adolescents Using a Single-Case Design Methodology

The purpose of the current study is to explore several correlates of adolescent students’ preferences for at-home virtual or in-class in-person learning in a single case of a school that serves students with learning differences. Correlates of interest were the Big Five personality traits (Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism) and the students’ self-reported learning engagement. Participants were recruited from a single independent school for students with neurodiversity and special learning needs, where they had high exposure to computer-/internet-assisted learning. Twenty-seven students responded to questionnaires measuring preferred learning modes, personality traits, and learning engagement. Despite teacher reports that some of these students thrived with virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, 88.5% of this sample preferred in-class learning. The personality traits of Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience were related to a preference for in-class learning. A preference for in-class learning was related, in turn, to learning engagement. Learning engagement was associated with Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and lower levels of Neuroticism. The strengths and limitations of this study and its implications for further research and practice are discussed.

Alerting network, cognitive flexibility in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and the moderating effect of neuroticism.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder, and cognitive flexibility is a sub-component of executive functioning. Studies have shown impairments in cognitive flexibility in ADHD, which is affected by attentional processes. Personality, as a long-standing trait, has a profound effect on ADHD. However, previous studies have not assessed the relationship between attentional function, personality traits, and cognitive flexibility in children with ADHD. This study explored the association between attention networks, personality, and cognitive flexibility in ADHD, filling a gap in the related field. We expect our findings will provide insights into and clues for the prevention and interventional treatment of ADHD. This study primarily aimed to analyze differences in cognitive flexibility between individuals with ADHD and those without and further examine associations between attention networks, personality, and cognitive flexibility in children with ADHD. Overall, 55 children aged 7 to 11 years diagnosed with ADHD and 40 children without ADHD participated in this study. Cognitive flexibility, personality traits, and attentional networks were assessed using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, and Attention Network Test, respectively. Additionally, the association between personality traits and strong attentional functioning and cognitive flexibility was investigated using multiple regression analysis. Children with ADHD had significant deficits in cognitive flexibility. A multiple regression analysis revealed that the alerting effect was highly associated with cognitive flexibility at high levels of neuroticism. This association was not salient in individuals with low levels of neuroticism. This study demonstrated that the ADHD group experienced lower cognitive flexibility than the control group. In addition, we showed the effect of neuroticism and alerting networks on cognitive flexibility. These findings may help psychiatrists provide intervention strategies to mitigate the impairment of social functioning in ADHD with cognitive spirituality deficits.

Trajectories of perinatal suicidal ideation from early pregnancy to six weeks postpartum and their influencing factors: A prospective longitudinal study

Few studies focused on the trajectory of perinatal suicidal ideation from early pregnancy and covered whole routine perinatal periods. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of suicidal ideation from early pregnancy to six weeks postpartum, and further explore the trajectories of perinatal suicidal ideation and their risk factors. A prospective longitudinal study was conducted in a comprehensive tertiary hospital in Hunan province, China among 1089 participants. Perinatal suicidal ideation and depression were assessed by item 9 of Patient Health Questionnaire 9 and the remaining eight items. Sociodemographic and psychological factors were collected by self-reported comprehensive questionnaires. Latent Growth Curve and Growth Mixture Modeling were used to identify the trajectories of suicidal ideation and logistic regression was used to explore risk factors of trajectories. A total of 629 participants were included. The prevalence of suicidal ideation was 16.4% from early pregnancy to six weeks postpartum, with 12.1% in pregnancy and 7.8% in postpartum. Two trajectories were identified: “persistent low levels of suicidal ideation” (92.9%) and “persistent high levels of suicidal ideation” (7.1%). 40.63% of women who screened positive for suicidal ideation during early pregnancy were in the “persistent high level of suicidal ideation” trajectory. A low level of neuroticism and anxiety symptoms during early pregnancy was associated with “persistent high levels of suicidal ideation”. In conclusion, suicidal ideation of women during the perinatal period was dynamic, Suicidal ideation screening and identification in early pregnancy should be addressed for perinatal women to facilitate timely early interventions.

Personality and vocational interest typologies associated with better coping and resilience in paramedicine: A review of two models

Paramedics’ continued exposure to work-related stressors can negatively impact emotional wellbeing. Having or developing resilience contributes to better coping. Understanding differences in individual predispositions as they relate to resilience and coping can provide a needed understanding of why some people flourish while others are more at risk, with important implications for identifying and facilitating bespoke support for paramedics more at risk. The purpose of this article then is firstly to review two of the main well-validated models of innate dispositions in differential psychology, widely used in organisational and industrial psychology: personality and vocational interests. These are The Big-Five/Five-Factor Model and Holland's RIASEC. Then, we report which dispositions are an advantage for paramedic coping and resilience. Concerning personality, our findings from the literature suggest that for paramedics, lower levels of Neuroticism and Openness, and higher levels of Extraversion, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness are associated with higher resilience and better coping. RIASEC associations suggest person-environment congruence is also related to resilience and coping, this being for those with the profession's predominant Holland code of RSI (Realist, Social and Investigative inclinations). Paramedics approximating these preferences are, it appears, innately relatively less at risk of the negative effects associated with occupational stressors in paramedicine. Stressors typically include post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression and other psychological reactions that all can result in suicide. Importantly, such resilience does not mean an individual is instinctively protected from some form of emotional suffering. The implications of verifying the significance of predispositions implies the need to harness organisational psychology as part of training courses, and the need for involvement of psychologists in the field, both preventatively and in clinical care.

Effects of Neuroticism on Differences in Symptom Structure of Life Satisfaction and Depression-Anxiety among College Students: A Network Analysis.

Object: Numerous studies show that depression and anxiety have an adverse effect on life satisfaction among college students. Moreover, neuroticism affects depression, anxiety, and life satisfaction. Comparing the low-neuroticism and high-neuroticism groups, the current study used network analysis to examine the relationship between depression, anxiety, and life satisfaction among college students. Methods: A sample consisted of 1233 college students from China who completed the Big Five Inventory-2 (BFI-2), Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), and Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS).All students were divided into two groups according to levels of neuroticism. Depression-anxiety symptom networks and flow networks were formed. Results: "Insomnia" (SAS19) and "Sleep disturbance" (SDS4) are bridge symptoms of groups with varying neuroticism. In addition, compared to the group with low levels of neuroticism, the group with high levels of neuroticism showed more depression symptoms in bridge symptoms and greater global strength. Many depression-anxiety symptoms are negatively associated with life satisfaction, and "Emptiness" (SDS18) is an important symptom in the high-neuroticism group's flow network. Conclusion: This study contributes to our understanding of the connection between depression, anxiety, neuroticism, and life satisfaction. In addition, the current study identified the essential symptoms to target in depression and anxiety intervention and life satisfaction enhancement among college students.

Personality, family relationships and school climate dimensions as predictors of dispositional forgiveness in adolescence

The mental health benefits of forgiveness are well-established in the literature. The growing research on dispositional forgiveness in adolescence is indicative of the need to better understand its role in youth’s well-being. In order to examine dispositional forgiveness in adolescence, measures regarding Big 5 personality factors (individual level), family relationships, school climate (system level), and sociodemographic variables at an individual and system level were used. Participants were 1,378 adolescents attending junior and senior high schools located in the broader area of Attica, Greece, randomly selected. Younger age, lower levels of neuroticism, and higher levels of extraversion, agreeableness and quality communication with the mother predicted higher forgiveness of self. Higher levels of openness to experience, agreeableness, quality communication with the father, positive behavior, positive attitude, and lower levels of lack of respect in the school predicted higher forgiveness of others. Finally, lower levels of neuroticism, higher levels of extraversion, agreeableness, and positive behavior in the school predicted higher levels of forgiveness of situations. The findings highlight the important role of personality factors and indicate the significance of primary prevention interventions in the school community regarding school climate that could contribute to the promotion of dispositional forgiveness and well-being of adolescents.

Emotional intelligence and personality among undergraduate students in a rural district of South India

ABSTRACT Background: Emotional intelligence is a key concept that contributes to the development of stronger relationships, academic and professional success and can lead to better mental, social and even physical health. It helps an individual to understand themselves and others, and has special significance in the life of a student. There is some preliminary evidence that emotional intelligence could also be associated with the personality traits of an individual. This association needs to be explored further and the current study aims to explore the same in the student population. Materials and Methods: The study aimed to assess the level of emotional intelligence and its correlation with the personality traits of college students. A descriptive research design was used and data were collected from 120 undergraduate students using simple random sampling. The emotional intelligence scale and big five inventory questionnaire were used to collect the data. Results: Most of the population belonged to an average level of emotional intelligence (58.3%), reported a high level of openness (49.2%), low level of conscientiousness (55.8%), high level of extraversion (76.7%), high level of agreeableness (47.5%) and low level of neuroticism (65.8%). Emotional intelligence was negatively correlated to neuroticism (r = −0.349**). Conclusion: The study results indicate that there is a significant correlation between emotional intelligence and neuroticism among undergraduate students. This aspect can be further explored to develop an intervention to enhance emotional intelligence among undergraduate students.

Do your friends stress you out? A field study of the spread of stress through a community network.

In this study, we seek to understand how stress changes in dynamic social systems. Where prior work on the interpersonal transmission of stress focused on pairs of individuals and small groups, we adopt a network perspective to investigate how the distribution of stress in an individual's social environment influences their stress appraisal process. We conducted a 6-month longitudinal study of 315 early to midcareer adults in professional master's programs as they encountered the stress of everyday academic life. We follow the dynamics of the participants' networks and their concomitant stress at four key time points during those 6 months. We find that the perceived stress of one's social contacts affects their experience of stress in this setting. Yet, not everyone is equally susceptible to this social influence. In particular, we find that social influence is substantially amplified under conditions of relative consensus among one's social contacts. Also, a low level of neuroticism, a high level of conscientiousness, and a high level of internal control orientation help buffer the transmission of stress. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Predicting Satisfaction With Life and Affect Balance Using Trait Interactions

There is robust support for the finding that subjective well-being (SWB) relates positively to extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness; and negatively to neuroticism (Soto, 2015), but little research has examined how SWB can be predicted from interactions between traits. It was hypothesized that conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness would moderate the relationship between neuroticism and SWB, as measured by satisfaction with life (SWL) and affect balance (AB). In Study 1, self-reports of the Big Five personality traits, SWL, and AB were collected via MTurk (N=1035). Hierarchical regression analyses were used to predict SWL and AB from interactions between traits. The relationship between neuroticism and SWL was moderated by conscientiousness (b=.15, p=.02) and extraversion (b=11, p=.03), while the relationship between neuroticism and AB was moderated by conscientiousness (b=.09, p=.02) and agreeableness (b=.09, p=.03). Positive personality traits (defined as extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness within this study) were positively related to SWB at high levels of neuroticism, but unrelated to SWB at low levels of neuroticism. This was explored further using a student population in Study 2 (N=151), and the results were partially replicated. This study highlights the importance of considering more than one trait at a time when predicting important outcomes such as SWB.

The Black Unicorn Effect: Micro-daily Events and Satisfaction Decrease the COVID-19 Xenophobia, but Only for Those With Low Levels of Neuroticism.

Drawing on the behavioral concordance model and the trait activation theory, this study examined how and when daily micro-events influence COVID-19 xenophobic attitudes. First, we examined the mediating role of satisfaction, and then, tested the moderating role of neuroticism in the mediated relationship. Overall, 340 working adults volunteered to participate in this study. The findings revealed that (1) satisfaction mediated the negative relationship between daily micro-events and xenophobic attitudes and (2) neuroticism moderated this relationship such that xenophobic attitudes increased for neurotic individuals, even when their satisfaction increased. Our findings contribute to understanding the relationship between daily micro-events and COVID-19 xenophobia and provide empirical evidence for the combined effects of personality factors and affective factors on xenophobic attitudes. Furthermore, we evidence the existence of the black unicorn effect, that is, neurotic individuals tend to transpose their neurotic cognitions and emotions to xenophobic attitudes despite the uplifting and satisfying nature of positive events.

Pet cat personality linked to owner-reported predation frequency.

The domestic cat, Felis catus, is one of the most popular and widespread domestic animals. Because domestic cats can reach high population densities and retain at least some tendency to hunt, their overall impact on wildlife can be severe. Domestic cats have highly variable predation rates depending on the availability of prey in their environment, their owners' practices, and individual cat characteristics. Among these characteristics, cat personality has recently been hypothesized to be an important factor contributing to variations in the hunting activity of cats. In this study, we surveyed 2508 cat owners living in France about their cats' personalities, using the Feline Five personality framework, and the frequency with which cats bring home prey. Personality traits were analyzed using factor analysis and related to predation frequency using cumulative logit models. For both birds and small mammals, cats with high levels of extraversion or low levels of neuroticism had significantly higher frequencies of prey return. Owners whose cats had low levels of agreeableness or high levels of dominance reported a significantly lower frequency of bird return. Personality differences therefore seem to contribute to the high variability in predation rates among domestic cats. We also found that the owner-reported prey return frequencies were significantly higher for cats spending more time outdoors, for non-pedigree cats, and for owners living in rural or suburban areas as opposed to urban areas. By contrast, we did not detect an effect of cat sex or age on their reported prey return rates.