Self-Other Agreement in Happiness and Life-Satisfaction: The Role of Personality Traits

Henrik Dobewall (), Anu Realo, Jüri Allik, Tõnu Esko and Andres Metspalu

Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, 2013, vol. 114, issue 2, 479-492

Abstract: The aim of the current study is to examine the role of personality traits in self-other agreement in happiness and life-satisfaction which are often seen as the essential components of subjective well-being (SWB). Self-reports on the SWB measure and the NEO Personality Inventory-3 were obtained from 1,251 Estonians aged between 18 and 86 years. Other-ratings on the same measures were provided by knowledgeable informants. The measure of SWB showed significant self-other agreement, r = .55 (p = .000). We found this agreement to be transmitted (i.e., mediated) through the self- and other-rated personality facet scores of N3 (Depression) and E6 (Positive Emotions), Z = 2.8001–11.7142. The findings suggest that when an informant evaluates someone’s happiness or life-satisfaction, his/her rating is inflated by the image held about the personality of this person. Furthermore, self-reported SWB reflects, to some extent, what other people think about one’s personality. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013

Keywords: Happiness and life-satisfaction; Subjective well-being; Personality ratings; NEO PI-3; Self-other agreement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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DOI: 10.1007/s11205-012-0157-y

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