The personalities of people in the USA often differ according to the state in which they live, a new study led by Cambridge University has revealed.Researchers used the results from more than half a million online surveys to create a "personality map" of the United States, showing that different types of people are more likely to live and flourish in different parts of the country.
For example, according to the findings, North Dakotans are often more sociable and affable than most Americans, while people living in New York State tend to be more highly-strung and creative.
The research team found "striking" wider geographical trends, such as a national "stress belt" dividing the more anxious and impulsive eastern USA from the comparatively relaxed west. They also identified strong links between personality traits and certain social phenomena, such as crime and life expectancy rates.
The study is the first analysis of its kind and was led by Dr Jason Rentfrow, a lecturer in social and political sciences at the University of Cambridge (UK). Dr Rentfrow is originally from Louisiana, a state where his own research would suggest the people are often friendly, but stress levels are high.
"Although these are preliminary findings and require more evaluation, they did throw up some striking geographical trends," Dr Rentfrow said.
"Obviously it's not as simple as saying that a person is guaranteed to be more anxious if they come from West Virginia or more religious because they happen to live in New Mexico; but we did find pretty clear signs that there are meaningful differences in the personalities of people living in different areas of the United States.
"What is particularly impressive is that the results show the effects of personality on people's social habits, values and lifestyles are so pronounced that they have an impact on much bigger social forces."
The study broke down personality types according to five factors: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness.
And overall summary from here:
Extraversion:
Personality traits: Sociable, energetic, and enthusiastic
High-scoring states: North Dakota, Wisconsin, District of Columbia, Nebraska, Minnesota, Georgia, South Dakota, Utah, Illinois, Florida
Low-scoring states: Vermont, Washington, Alaska, New Hampshire, Maryland, Idaho, Virginia, Oregon, Montana, Massachusetts
Agreeableness:
Personality traits: Warm, compassionate, co-operative and friendly.
Highest-scoring states: North Dakota, Minnesota, Mississippi, Utah, Wisconsin, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Oklahoma, Nebraska.
Lowest-scoring states: New York, Nevada, Wyoming, District of Columbia, Alaska, Maine, Rhode Island, Virginia, Connecticut, Montana.
Conscientiousness:
Personality traits: Dutiful, responsible, self-disciplined.
Highest-scoring states: New Mexico, North Carolina, Georgia, Utah, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Florida, Arizona, Missouri.
Lowest-scoring states: Wyoming, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Maine, Alaska, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York.
Neuroticism
Personality traits: Anxious, stressful and impulsive.
Highest-scoring states: West Virginia, Rhode Island, New York, Mississippi, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio, Arkansas.
Lowest-scoring states: Alaska, Oregon, South Dakota, Colorado, Utah, Washington, Arizona, Nebraska, North Dakota, Nevada.
Openness:
Personality traits: Curious, intellectual, creative.
Highest-scoring states: District of Columbia, New York, Oregon, Massachusetts, Washington, California, Vermont, Colorado, Nevada, Maryland.
Lowest-scoring states: Wisconsin, Alabama, Alaska, Wyoming, North Dakota, Hawaii, Kentucky, Nebraska, Iowa, Delaware.
How does Ohio fall overall? Thanks to this convenient map (warning: PDF):
Extraversion: 3
Agreeableness: 3
Conscientiousness: 4
Neuroticism: 1
Openness: 3
*"1" - top 10, "2" - 11-20, "3" - 21-30, "4" - 31-40, "5" - bottom 11 (incl. DC)
Apparently we're really neurotic, and not so conscientious. Overall, though, middle of the road... yet again...
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