January 07, 2020

As another year passes, people often feel the need to reflect on and sometimes even re-evaluate their lives, setting resolutions New Year resolutions in the hopes of improving their life satisfaction and well-being. While well-being seems to be determined by specific personality traits, according to a Scientific American study, one reassurance is that these aren’t fixed. The study says they can be adapted to achieve well-being, a hopeful finding for the New Year.  It even offers the traits we need to be thinking about if we aim to do this.
 

  1. High Positive emotions 
  2. Low negative emotions 
  3. Life satisfaction 
  4. Autonomy 
  5. Environmental mastery 
  6. Personal growth 
  7. Positive relations 
  8. Self-acceptance 
  9. Purpose and meaning in life 
  10. Engagement in life 
  11. Accomplishment 

But we all know from experience how difficult achieving any of these things can be, especially if your personality isn’t suited for it. It’s easy to talk about change, but as humans and creatures of habit we know it doesn’t always come easy to us. The personality traits most geared towards well-being are high extroversion and low neuroticism. But what if you’re naturally an introvert? Is there no hope for you then?

This study suggests there is, giving multiple examples of personality traits linked to well-being and suggesting these aren’t as fixed a thing as we tend to believe. In other words, there are several potential paths for us to take to achieve the kind of satisfaction in life we want. New Year’s resolutions don’t have to be pointless after all. So, if you’re looking to start your list and hope to achieve well-being in the New Year, consider working on the following: 
 

  1. Enthusiasm: Being friendly, sociable and emotionally expressive.

 

  1. Low Withdrawal: Striving not to be easily discouraged and overwhelmed, or ruminate and be highly self-conscious.

 

  1. Industriousness: Being achievement-oriented, self-disciplined, efficient, purposeful, and competent.

 

  1. Compassion: Feeling and caring about others' emotions and well-being.

 

  1. Intellectual Curiosity: Being open to new ideas, enjoying thinking deeply and complexly, and reflecting on experiences.

 

  1. Assertiveness: Being socially dominant, provocative and motivated to attain social status and leadership positions. 

 

  1. Creative Openness: Needing a creative outlet and appreciating beauty, daydreaming, imagination, fantasy, and feelings.