Personality and having children: a two-way relationship

J Pers Soc Psychol. 2009 Jan;96(1):218-30. doi: 10.1037/a0014058.

Abstract

Personality has been implicated in romantic and sexual relationships, but its association with childbearing is poorly understood. The authors assessed whether 3 personality traits--sociability, emotionality, and activity--predicted the probability of having children and whether having children predicted personality change. The participants were women and men from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study (N = 1,839) who were followed for 9 years. High emotionality decreased the probability of having children, whereas high sociability and, in men, high activity increased this probability. Having children predicted increasing emotionality, particularly in participants with high baseline emotionality and two or more children. In men, having children increased sociability in those with high baseline sociability and decreased sociability in those with low baseline sociability. These findings suggest a two-way relationship between personality and having children.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Cohort Studies
  • Emotions / physiology
  • Female
  • Finland
  • Humans
  • Interpersonal Relations*
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Motor Activity / physiology
  • Odds Ratio
  • Parenting / psychology*
  • Parents / psychology*
  • Personality / physiology*
  • Personality Inventory / statistics & numerical data
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Prospective Studies
  • Social Behavior
  • Temperament / physiology
  • Young Adult