Plain writing on personality, with the receipts.
Who's at Higher Risk of Burnout (by Personality)
Burnout is partly situational and partly dispositional. A 2009 meta-analysis pinpoints which traits raise the risk and what to do if your profile is one of them
8 min readTraits
Why Conscientious People Live Longer
Conscientiousness predicts longer life — through small daily behaviors that compound over decades. Here is what the meta-analysis shows, and why
8 min readTraits
What Is Conscientiousness, and Why Does It Predict Income Better Than IQ?
Conscientiousness predicts career success better than almost any other trait. Here is what it actually measures, and what the research shows about why it works.
7 min readTraits
Conscientious: Definition, Meaning, and What Your Conscientiousness Score Says About You
Conscientious means careful, thorough, and dependable. The Big Five trait behind the word is six things rather than one, and each end of it looks like a different week.
8 min readBig Five
Why HEXACO Catches the Dark Triad Better Than Big Five
Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy all share something the Big Five does not isolate. HEXACO does, through the Honesty-Humility factor
8 min readHEXACO
ENFP in Big Five Terms: Each Letter Translated Into Trait Scores
ENFP in Big Five terms: high Extraversion, high Openness, high Agreeableness, lower Conscientiousness — letter by letter, plus the trait the MBTI skips.
8 min readMBTI
Does Extraversion Really Predict Happiness?
Extraverts report more happiness than introverts on average. The effect is real but smaller than most articles claim. Here is what the research actually shows
8 min readTraits
Extraversion and Leadership: It's More Complicated Than It Looks
Extraverts get more leadership roles. They do not always lead better. Here is what the meta-analytic research actually says about Extraversion and leadership outcomes
9 min readTraits
Extraversion (or Extroversion): Definition, Meaning, and the Spelling Question
Extraverted means outward-turning, energised by company. The Big Five trait behind the word is six things, not one: what it measures, and what high and low look like.
9 min readBig Five
The Hidden Costs of High Extraversion
High Extraversion has real upsides — and a few well-documented costs. Here is what the research shows about the blind spots that come with the trait
8 min readTraits
When HEXACO Predicts Workplace Behavior Better Than Big Five
For most workplace outcomes the Big Five is enough. For ethical violations and counterproductive work behavior, HEXACO does something the Big Five does not
8 min readHEXACO
HEXACO Emotionality vs Big Five Neuroticism: The Subtle Difference
HEXACO Emotionality and Big Five Neuroticism look alike from a distance. Up close, the anger facet sits in a different place — and that one move changes a lot
7 min readHEXACO
HEXACO vs Big Five: The Honest Difference
The HEXACO model adds one factor the Big Five does not measure: Honesty-Humility. Here is what that changes, and when it matters.
7 min readHEXACO
When Kindness Costs You: The Trade-Offs of High Agreeableness
High Agreeableness builds great relationships and great careers in the wrong fields. Here are the documented costs and what to do about them
8 min readTraits
When Conscientiousness Tips Into Perfectionism
Very high Conscientiousness has a real cost — perfectionism, burnout, and a loud inner critic. Here is what the research shows, and where the line is
8 min readTraits
The Hidden Advantage of High Neuroticism
High Neuroticism gets a bad reputation. The same wiring also produces early threat detection, conscientious worry, and emotional depth. The research is clear
8 min readTraits
High Openness: The Strengths, the Costs, and What to Watch For
High Openness comes with real strengths and real costs. Here is what the trait looks like day to day, and the failure modes worth watching for
7 min readTraits
Honesty-Humility: The 6th Trait the Big Five Misses
Honesty-Humility is the sixth trait HEXACO adds to the Big Five: sincerity, fairness, greed-avoidance and modesty. What a high or low score means, and why the Big Five never caught it.
7 min readHEXACO
How to Become More Self-Aware: A Personality-Science Approach
Self-awareness is two things, not one. Research shows what most advice misses, and what a personality test can and cannot do to help.
8 min readSelf-awareness
How to Use a Personality Test Without Being Annoying
There is a way to use personality test results that helps you understand yourself, and a way that makes you insufferable. Here is how to tell the difference.
6 min readSelf-awareness