Verywell / Bailey Mariner
Openness refers to how open-minded you are to new ideas or experiences.
What Openness Means
Openness is one of theBig Five personality traits.
This means that you could be high in openness, low in openness, or somewhere in the middle.
Verywell / Bailey Mariner
They approach unfamiliar things with a level of curiosity.
They’re also good at thinking about and making connections between different concepts and ideas.
For instance, one study noted that people with genius-level intelligence often have high openness.
Mindful Moment
Need a breather?
Low Openness
People low in openness tend toprefer routineand tradition.
People high in openness enjoy things that are new, different, and surprising.
They are also more likely to pay attention to their feelings and inner experiences.
In psychology, this is known as thenature versus nurture debate, and research has found connections for each.
It’s important to recognize that environment can be a two-way street.
Some studies suggest that openness tends to decrease with age.
How Open to Experience Are You?
If you strongly disagree, you might be low in openness.
The advantage of self-reports is that they are quick and easy to administer.
One potential downside, however, is that their results aren’t always reliable.
People sometimes answer in ways that they consider to be more socially desirable.
Here are several effects to consider.
Openness has also been linked to what is known as ‘need for cognition.
People with a high need for cognition enjoy solving puzzles, brainstorming solutions to problems, and analyzing ideas.
Political Attitudes
Your level of openness can affect where you stand politically.
Conversely, low openness is associated with right-wing authoritarianism and conservativism.
For example, some research suggests that political attitude may also be influenced by one’s genetic makeup.
Relationships
How open you are can play a role in how you handle your relationships.
In intimate relationships, your level of openness can affect your attitudes and behaviors related to sex.
Additional Impacts of Openness
People high in openness may be better equipped todeal with life changes.
While being open is often considered a positive trait, this doesnt mean that it doesnt have any downsides.
Other factorsincluding circumstances, both situational and societalalso play a critical role.
2014;46:73-83. doi:10.1016/j.intell.2014.05.007
Soto CJ.Do links between personality and life outcomes generalize?
Testing the robustness of trait-outcome associations across gender, age, ethnicity, and analytic approaches.Soc Psychol Personal Sci.
2016;84(2):248-258. doi:10.1111/jopy.12156
McCrae RR, Greenberg DM.Openness to experience.Wiley Handbook of Genius.
2014;96(1):46-52. doi:10.1080/00223891.2013.806327
De Neve JE.Personality, childhood experience, and political ideology.Polit Psychol.
Identity as a cause of measurement bias.Soc Psychol Q.
2022;98(4):379-410. doi:10..1080/00130095.2022.2049228
Jauk E, Benedek M, Neubauer AC.
The road to creative achievement: A latent variable model of ability and personality predictors.Eur J Personal.
2015;44(3):212-222. doi:10.1080/16506073.2015.1008032
Meltzer AL, McNulty JK.Who is having more and better sex?
The Big Five as predictors of sex in a marriage.J Res Personal.
2016;63:62-66. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2016.05.010
Jirjahn U, Ottenbacher M.Big Five personality traits and sex.J Pop Econom.
