The Big Five personality traits, defined

What are the Big Five personality traits?

They are the five broad dimensions that keep appearing whenever researchers measure how people differ from one another. The model was not designed; it was found. Researchers gathered the thousands of trait words that languages keep for describing people, asked large samples to rate themselves and others, and looked at which words travelled together. Five clusters kept emerging (Goldberg, 1993), and questionnaires built from a different starting point arrived at the same five (Costa & McCrae, 1992).

The mnemonic OCEAN uses Neuroticism for the fourth dimension. Wellington reports it the other way up, as Emotional Stability, so that a higher number always means more of the thing named. A sixth dimension, Honesty-Humility, separates out when lexical studies are run from scratch in several languages, which is why the HEXACO model has six factors and why Wellington measures six rather than five (Ashton & Lee, 2007).

Each definition that follows gives the dimension in plain words, what higher and lower look like, the facets beneath it, and what it predicts. Nothing here is a category. You sit somewhere on all six at once.

What is Extraversion?

Extraversion is the tendency to seek and enjoy stimulation from the social world: company, activity, excitement and reward. It shows in energy, talkativeness, assertiveness and positive emotion.

• Higher: High scorers are energised by people and pace, speak readily and often lead. They can find quiet stretches flat.
• Lower: Low scorers, often called introverted, prefer fewer and deeper contacts, think before they speak and recover in solitude. They can be under-heard in loud rooms.

Facets Wellington measures under Extraversion in the membership, each with a page of its own: Cheerfulness, Friendliness, Gregariousness, Assertiveness, Activity Level, Excitement Seeking, Social Boldness, Liveliness, Sociability, Playfulness, Activity Pace.

A meta-analysis of personality and leadership found Extraversion the most consistent correlate of both leadership emergence and leadership effectiveness across settings (Judge et al., 2002). At work more broadly it helps most in roles built on persuasion and social contact rather than across all occupations (Barrick & Mount, 1991). The longer version is at What is Extraversion?.

What is Agreeableness?

Agreeableness is the tendency to be cooperative, trusting and considerate toward others rather than competitive or sceptical. It shows in warmth, compassion, modesty and a preference for harmony.

• Higher: High scorers are easy to work with, quick to help and slow to suspect. They can give away too much and avoid needed conflict.
• Lower: Low scorers are candid, competitive and hard to fool. They can be experienced as blunt or cold.

Facets Wellington measures under Agreeableness in the membership, each with a page of its own: Trust, Morality, Altruism, Cooperation, Sympathy, Trait Warmth, Tender-Mindedness, Politeness.

A meta-analysis of intimate partners found that a person's higher Agreeableness related to greater relationship satisfaction in their partner (Malouff et al., 2010). At work it is not a consistent predictor of performance: in the meta-analysis that established the Conscientiousness finding, dimensions other than Conscientiousness had small effects where they had any (Barrick & Mount, 1991). The longer version is at What is Agreeableness?.

What is Conscientiousness?

Conscientiousness is the tendency to be organised, dependable and self-disciplined, and to aim at goals over time. It shows in orderliness, industriousness, deliberation and follow-through.

• Higher: High scorers plan, persist and deliver. They can be rigid, and hard on themselves and others when standards slip.
• Lower: Low scorers are flexible, spontaneous and comfortable with mess. They can struggle with deadlines and long projects.

Facets Wellington measures under Conscientiousness in the membership, each with a page of its own: Orderliness, Self-Discipline, Achievement Striving, Dutifulness, Cautiousness, Trait Self-Efficacy, Trait Perfectionism (Adaptive), Industriousness, Methodicalness.

It is the one Big Five trait that predicted job performance across every occupational group examined in a classic meta-analysis (Barrick & Mount, 1991). It also predicts health: a meta-analysis of the behaviours that contribute most to mortality found Conscientiousness related to more of the protective ones and fewer of the risky ones (Bogg & Roberts, 2004). The longer version is at What is Conscientiousness?.

What is Emotional Stability?

Emotional Stability is the tendency to stay calm and even under stress. Its reverse, Neuroticism, is the tendency toward negative emotion: worry, irritability, sadness and vulnerability to pressure.

• Higher: High scorers are steady, slow to alarm and quick to recover. They can under-read danger or others' distress.
• Lower: Low scorers feel things strongly and early, which makes them alert and often empathic, at the cost of more worry and slower recovery.

Facets Wellington measures under Emotional Stability in the membership, each with a page of its own: Trait Calmness, Trait Equanimity, Trait Imperturbability, Self-Confidence, Trait Toughness, Trait Adaptability.

It is the trait most closely tied to how life feels from the inside. A large meta-analysis found that the low end of the dimension is the strongest and most consistent personality correlate of common emotional difficulties such as persistent anxiety and low mood (Kotov et al., 2010). In relationships, lower Emotional Stability is the strongest trait correlate of a partner's dissatisfaction (Malouff et al., 2010). The longer version is at What is Emotional Stability?.

What is Openness to Experience?

Openness to Experience is the tendency to seek out ideas, art, novelty and feeling, and to think in unconventional ways. It shows in imagination, aesthetic sensitivity, intellectual curiosity and readiness to try new things.

• Higher: High scorers are curious, imaginative and drawn to complexity. They can be restless with routine and impractical.
• Lower: Low scorers are practical, grounded and loyal to what works. They can miss what a new idea offers.

Facets Wellington measures under Openness to Experience in the membership, each with a page of its own: Imagination, Artistic Interests, Emotional Openness, Adventurousness, Trait Intellect, Inquisitiveness, Creativity, Open-Mindedness, Reflective Mindedness, Resourcefulness, Tolerance, Cultural Engagement, Sensitivity.

It has the loosest links to job performance of the five, with one clear exception: it predicted how well people did in training across occupations, which fits a trait defined by appetite for the unfamiliar (Barrick & Mount, 1991). It also showed a consistent, modest relationship with leadership in the same review, r = .24 (Judge et al., 2002). The longer version is at What is Openness to Experience?.

What is Honesty-Humility?

Honesty-Humility, the sixth dimension in the HEXACO model, is the tendency to be sincere, fair and modest rather than manipulative, greedy or entitled. It is the dimension the Big Five folds into Agreeableness and the one most tied to ethical behaviour.

• Higher: High scorers are fair-dealing and unpretentious, and are not tempted by what they have not earned. They can be underpaid and overlooked.
• Lower: Low scorers are comfortable with flattery, status and advantage. They can be persuasive and can cut corners.

Facets Wellington measures under Honesty-Humility in the membership, each with a page of its own: Sincerity, Fairness, Greed Avoidance, Modesty.

A review of the research on the factor found it clearly distinguishable from Agreeableness, and found that Five-Factor Model instruments capture only part of what it measures (Ashton et al., 2014). That is the main argument for measuring six dimensions instead of five. The longer version is at What is Honesty-Humility?.

What are facets and aspects?

Broad traits sit at the top of a hierarchy, and narrower traits sit beneath them. Those narrower traits are called facets, and they add prediction that the broad score misses, which is why modern inventories measure both levels rather than one (Soto & John, 2017). Two people at the same percentile on Conscientiousness can differ completely on whether that score is orderliness or industriousness.

Between the domain and the facets sits an intermediate level. Each Big Five dimension splits reliably into two aspects that correlate with each other but come apart in real people, ten aspects across the five (DeYoung et al., 2007). The aspects are the quickest way to see why a single number hides so much.

Facets are where a personality report stops being generic. The facets page lists what sits beneath each dimension and what each one measures.

How does Wellington measure these?

Wellington is a science-based personality assessment from Therabot Labs LLC. It measures personality as continuous traits, built on the Big Five and HEXACO models, and writes the results back as a personal report rather than a type.

The free Snapshot asks 60 questions, takes about 7 minutes and scores all six dimensions defined here. Each statement is rated on a five-point accuracy scale, each dimension is the average of its statements, and that average is placed against a reference sample as a percentile and reported in one of three bands: Quiet below the 30th percentile, Balanced to the 70th, High above it. The bands exist to make the result easier to talk about; the percentile is the measurement, and it is always shown alongside. Those norms are provisional until the norming sample is complete. The first ten questions are answered before anything is asked of you; after question ten you sign in with an email so your answers are saved and your results can be shown. No card is needed.

In the written report, every trait has three pages, one per band, prepared in advance by the writing and psychology team, and your answers choose which one you read. The Wellington Membership adds the facets beneath every dimension and all 24 VIA character strengths, reaching 90 traits, and continues toward all 255. You can see how the scores are built in the methodology. Wellington is a wellness tool for reflection, not a medical or psychological diagnosis, and it does not replace care from a qualified professional.

It is not designed for hiring, and you can export or delete your data at any time. For the evidence behind the model, is the Big Five scientifically valid sets it out, and how to read personality test scores explains what a band means.

Questions people ask

What does OCEAN stand for?

Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism, a mnemonic for the Big Five. The five are the same dimensions whichever order they are listed in, and CANOE is the same mnemonic rearranged. Wellington reports Neuroticism the other way up, as Emotional Stability, so that a higher number always means more of the quality the dimension is named for.

Is there a best Big Five profile?

No. Each position has costs and advantages that depend on the life it is lived in. High Conscientiousness helps with long projects and can shade into rigidity; low Extraversion suits deep work and can make rooms tiring. The report describes both sides of your band.

What are facets?

Narrower traits beneath each broad dimension, which correlate with the dimension but come apart in individual people and add prediction the domain score alone misses (Soto & John, 2017). Two people with the same Extraversion score can differ greatly on its facets, one warm and quiet, the other assertive and restless. Measuring facets takes more questions, which is why they sit in the membership rather than the free Snapshot.

Which Big Five trait matters most?

It depends on the outcome. Conscientiousness carries most of the work and health findings (Barrick & Mount, 1991; Bogg & Roberts, 2004), Emotional Stability most of the wellbeing findings, Extraversion the leadership findings (Judge et al., 2002), and Neuroticism most of the relationship-satisfaction findings, with Agreeableness next (Malouff et al., 2010). No single trait is the important one.

Why does Wellington measure a sixth dimension?

Because lexical studies run from scratch in several languages produce six factors rather than five, with sincerity, fairness and modesty separating out from Agreeableness (Ashton & Lee, 2007). A review of the research on that sixth factor found it distinguishable from Agreeableness, with Five-Factor Model instruments capturing only part of what it measures (Ashton et al., 2014), which is information the five alone miss.