Loneliness and Personality
Noise‐ and Bias‐Free True Correlations Between Loneliness and the Big Five Personality Domains
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19280980 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Paddy Maher (0000-0003-4354-3550, Goldsmiths University of London, corresponding author), Yavor Dragostinov (0000-0002-8090-9614, The University of Texas at Austin), Uku Vainik (0000-0002-9375-9520, McGill University), Andrew Cooper (0000-0003-4972-8812, Goldsmiths, University of London London UK), Andrew J Cooper (0000-0002-5897-2107, Goldsmiths University of London), Jüri Allik (0000-0002-8358-4747, Institute of Psychology University of Tartu Tartu Estonia), Anu Realo (0000-0003-0649-274X, Tallinn University), René Mõttus (0000-0002-6403-5224, University of Tartu) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-13 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Personality (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-3506 • E-ISSN: 1467-6494 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/jopy.70048 |
| PMID | 41531026 |
| OpenAlex | W7123803120 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 61 |
Objective While loneliness is intertwined with many mental and physical health problems, its origins are not yet well understood. We sought to better understand its link to personality in a large national cohort. Methods Combining self‐ and informant ratings in multiple samples, we conducted the largest study to date to examine loneliness' true correlations ( r true s) with the Big Five personality traits, free of single‐method biases and transient and random errors. Results Across three samples (Estonian‐speaking, N = 20,893; Russian‐speaking, N = 762; English‐speaking, N = 599), we found a strong relationship between loneliness and Neuroticism ( r true = 0.60–0.70). Loneliness also had robust but much weaker associations with Extraversion ( r true = −0.20 to −0.30), and only weak associations ( r true = 0.10 to −0.20) with Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness. Collectively, the Big Five accounted for over 50% of loneliness variance. In a subsample, the associations were only slightly smaller longitudinally over approximately 10 years. Conclusion Overall, feeling lonely is more closely related to Neuroticism than previously understood, and the association endures over time
Association (psychology) · Extraversion and introversion · Feeling · Loneliness · Neuroticism · Personality · Aging and Gerontology Research · Health disparities and outcomes · Personality Traits and Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |