We explored the relationships of neuroticism with subjective assessments of 10 negative emotions using the dimension of valence (or pleasantness vs. unpleasantness). University students (males = 85, females = 102, M_(age) = 22.6, SD = 3.2) completed the Eysenck Personality Scales (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1991; α = 0.664) and were then given a list containing the emotions disgust, anger, sadness, fear, contempt, hate, disappointment, jealousy, envy, and guilt. On a 10cm line drawn next to each of the 10 words, participants were asked to rate the degree to which they experienced this emotion as pleasant/unpleasant.

We used Pearson’s correlations to analyze both individual emotions and the whole scale of emotions (α = 0.781). For the whole scale, neuroticism was negatively correlated with valence (r = -0.231; p < .001) and people who scored high for neuroticism (high-N) assessed emotions as more negative (unpleasant) than did people with low neuroticism (low-N scores). For the whole scale, males assessed emotions more positively than did females (t(185) = 5.241; p < .01).

Disappointment (r = -0.306; p < .01), guilt (r = -0.259; p < .01), disgust (r = -0.183; p < .05), jealousy (r = -0.187; p < .05), and envy (r = -0.179; p < .05) were negatively correlated with neuroticism. No significant single correlation with neuroticism was found for contempt, hate, sadness, anger, and fear.

Neuroticism may be a predisposition for individuals to experience negative emotions more (or less) intensely. This interpretation supports the Eysenck model, according to which high-N individuals have a lower threshold for activation in the limbic system, which is responsible for most negative emotions (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1985). High-N individuals may evaluate memories of negative experiences as more negative than do low-N individuals. This more negative evaluation may be explained by higher consequentiality of negative events in high-N individuals (Robinson et al., 2007) because each event primes negative thoughts within their semantic memory and these memory networks are likely to favor negative affect. Low-N individuals may have a more optimistic view about past emotional events than do high-N individuals and, thus, may evaluate them as less unpleasant than do high-N individuals.

Because the number of participants in our study was small, these findings should be considered as preliminary, rather than final, generalizations.

References

Augusto-Landa, J. M., Pulido-Martos, M., & López-Zafra, E. (2010). Emotional intelligence and personality traits as predictors of psychological well-being in Spanish undergraduates. Social Behavior and Personality: An international journal, 38, 783-794. http://doi.org/b39

Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, M. W. (1985). Personality and individual differences: A natural science approach. New York: Plenum.

Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1991). Eysenck Personality Scales (EPS Adult). London: Hodder & Stoughton.

Petrides, K. V. (2010). An application of belief-importance theory with reference to the Big Five and trait emotional intelligence. Social Behavior and Personality: An international journal, 38, 697-710. http://doi.org/b4b

Rafienia, P., Azadfallah, P., Fathi-Ashtiani, A., & Rasoulzadeh-Tabatabaiei, K. (2008). The role of extraversion, neuroticism, and positive and negative mood in emotional information processing. Personality and Individual Differences, 44, 392-402. http://doi.org/b4c

Robinson, M., Ode, S., Moeller, S. K., & Goetz, P. W. (2007). Neuroticism and affective priming: Evidence for a neuroticism-linked negative schema. Personality and Individual Differences, 42, 1221-1231. http://doi.org/b4d

Wang, L., Shi, Z., & Li, H. (2009). Neuroticism, extraversion, emotion regulation, negative affect and positive affect: The mediating roles of reappraisal and suppression. Social Behavior and Personality: An international journal, 37, 193-194. http://doi.org/b4g

Augusto-Landa, J. M., Pulido-Martos, M., & López-Zafra, E. (2010). Emotional intelligence and personality traits as predictors of psychological well-being in Spanish undergraduates. Social Behavior and Personality: An international journal, 38, 783-794. http://doi.org/b39

Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, M. W. (1985). Personality and individual differences: A natural science approach. New York: Plenum.

Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1991). Eysenck Personality Scales (EPS Adult). London: Hodder & Stoughton.

Petrides, K. V. (2010). An application of belief-importance theory with reference to the Big Five and trait emotional intelligence. Social Behavior and Personality: An international journal, 38, 697-710. http://doi.org/b4b

Rafienia, P., Azadfallah, P., Fathi-Ashtiani, A., & Rasoulzadeh-Tabatabaiei, K. (2008). The role of extraversion, neuroticism, and positive and negative mood in emotional information processing. Personality and Individual Differences, 44, 392-402. http://doi.org/b4c

Robinson, M., Ode, S., Moeller, S. K., & Goetz, P. W. (2007). Neuroticism and affective priming: Evidence for a neuroticism-linked negative schema. Personality and Individual Differences, 42, 1221-1231. http://doi.org/b4d

Wang, L., Shi, Z., & Li, H. (2009). Neuroticism, extraversion, emotion regulation, negative affect and positive affect: The mediating roles of reappraisal and suppression. Social Behavior and Personality: An international journal, 37, 193-194. http://doi.org/b4g

This work was supported by the Czech Science Foundation (GACR 406/09/0294).

Radek Trnka, Faculty of Humanities, Charles University in Prague, U Krize 10, Prague 5–Jinonice, 158 00, Czech Republic. Email: [email protected]