Adapted by:
Pablo Martínez-Juarez
WriterEnvironmental economist and science journalist. For a few years, I worked as a researcher on the economics of climate change adaptation. Now I write about that and much more.
Alba Mora
WriterAn established tech journalist, I entered the world of consumer tech by chance in 2018. In my writing and translating career, I've also covered a diverse range of topics, including entertainment, travel, science, and the economy.
Literature, cinema, and TV often create stereotypes associated with intelligent people, ranging from the clueless genius to the arrogant intellectual. These clichés can sometimes overlap with reality. Studying the connection between cognitive abilities and personality traits can be challenging due to the complexity of the subject matter and the prevalence of these preconceptions.
What does science say? Researchers at the University of Minnesota conducted one of the largest studies on the topic. This meta-analysis, published in 2023, examined more than a thousand studies related to the subject.
The results don’t provide a straightforward list of personality traits associated with intelligence. Instead, they illustrate a complex network of connections between cognitive abilities and personality traits.
A complex relationship. Unsurprisingly, the connection between cognitive abilities and personality traits is complicated. Some experts argue for the existence of multiple types of intelligence. The Minnesota study focuses on cognitive abilities. Moreover, it doesn’t limit itself to eight or nine types like other studies but instead includes 97 different abilities.
A literature review. The research team analyzed the relationship between these 97 skills and 79 personality traits by reviewing the scientific literature and conducting a meta-analysis. Specifically, its quantitative research was based on 1,325 previous studies.
For more detailed information about the process and results, you can refer to an article published in Psychological and Cognitive Sciences. Additionally, a graphical summary of the results was released as an interactive online tool.
Breaking stereotypes. Personality traits are often simplified into five main categories known as the “Big Five”: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. The Minnesota team indicates how these traits are positively or negatively linked to cognitive abilities.
For instance, researchers found that traits associated with neuroticism were negatively correlated with most cognitive skills. This suggests that the “moody genius” stereotype may not be accurate.
In contrast, extraversion and conscientiousness showed a positive connection to several cognitive skills. Interestingly, while agreeableness overall didn’t demonstrate a significant association with intelligence, specific related traits, such as compassion, were linked to some of the skills analyzed.
What makes people smart? Due to the complexity of these interactions, understanding which personality traits are closely linked to certain abilities is unlikely to help you identify intelligent individuals more easily. Additionally, adapting your personality traits based on these studies won’t make you smarter. However, the latest findings can enhance the world’s understanding of how these traits evolved in our brains.
Image | Priscilla Du Preez
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