Do Classical Studies Open Your Mind?

Giorgio Brunello, Piero Esposito, Lorenzo Rocco and Sergio Scicchitano ()

No 15985, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: We investigate whether classical studies in high school – that emphasize in Italy the study of ancient languages such as Latin and Greek - affect personality traits. Using Italian survey data, we compare individuals who did classical studies in high school with similar individuals who completed a more scientific academic curriculum. We find that having done classical studies does not affect conscientiousness and openness but increases neuroticism and self-reported unhappiness.

Keywords: school choice; education; classical studies; Big-5; non-cognitive skills; personality traits (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I21 I26 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 13 pages
Date: 2023-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cbe, nep-neu and nep-ure
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Related works:
Working Paper: Do Classical Studies Open your Mind? (2023)
Working Paper: Do Classical Studies Open your Mind?
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