Personality traits linked to lifestyle patterns in Brazilian undergraduates

Among 2,037 undergraduate students in Brazil, extraversion, agreeableness and openness were independently associated with higher overall lifestyle scores, whereas neuroticism was associated with lower scores. Conscientiousness showed no statistically significant association with lifestyle in the cross-sectional study, conducted at two higher education institutions.

The researchers examined the relationship between Big Five personality traits and a multidimensional assessment of lifestyle in a large student sample. Participants completed a web-based survey measuring openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism with the 44-item Big Five Inventory. Their lifestyles were assessed using the University Self-report Multidimensional Inventory of Lifestyle Evaluation, or U-SMILE.

Lifestyle scores were linearly transformed to a 0–100 scale, while the personality traits were converted to z-scores. Multiple linear regression models estimated the associations between each personality trait and lifestyle score while adjusting for age, gender, race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, field of study, household income and employment status. This approach estimates whether personality differences were associated with lifestyle differences beyond the demographic and social variables included in the analysis.

Extraversion had the strongest positive association among the five traits. For each one-standard-deviation increase in extraversion, the model estimated a 1.95-point increase in the lifestyle score, with a 95% confidence interval of 1.35 to 2.55. Openness was associated with a 1.04-point increase per standard deviation, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.47 to 1.61, while agreeableness was associated with a 0.59-point increase, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.07 to 1.12. Each of these confidence intervals excluded zero, indicating statistically significant adjusted associations in the sample.

Neuroticism showed the opposite direction. A one-standard-deviation increase in neuroticism was associated with a 1.89-point reduction in the lifestyle score, with a 95% confidence interval from −2.37 to −1.40. The estimate for conscientiousness indicated a 0.36-point reduction, but its 95% confidence interval, from −0.88 to 0.17, included zero and was therefore not statistically significant. The results identify extraversion and neuroticism as the most prominent personality correlates in the models, with openness and agreeableness showing smaller positive relationships.

The participants had a mean age of 25.1 years, a standard deviation of 8.5 years and a median age of 22. Most were female, accounting for 72.5% of the sample, and the researchers described the participants as similarly distributed between the two institutions. Age, race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, household income and employment status were associated with lifestyle scores in the analysis; gender was not associated with lifestyle.

Because the study was cross-sectional and based on self-report, its findings describe relationships measured at one point in time rather than changes over time or causal effects. The design cannot determine whether personality influences lifestyle, whether lifestyle is related to personality, or whether other factors contribute to both. It also does not establish that altering a personality trait would produce a corresponding change in behavior, and the study did not test whether personality-based lifestyle interventions could improve mental health promotion in universities.

The sample size and the number of demographic and social variables included in the adjusted models provide a detailed snapshot of personality–lifestyle associations in the participating student population. Generalization is limited by the self-reported measures and the inclusion of students from only two institutions. Within those boundaries, the analysis shows that the Big Five traits did not contribute equally: extraversion and neuroticism had the clearest independent associations with the broad lifestyle score, openness and agreeableness had smaller positive associations, and conscientiousness showed no clear association after adjustment.

Subject of Research: Big Five personality traits and multidimensional lifestyle patterns in Brazilian undergraduate students

Article Title: Big five personality traits and lifestyle: a cross-sectional study in brazilian undergraduate students

Article References: Fukuti, P., di Santi, T., Nascimento, A. G., Oliveira, L. C. D., Zuppi Garcia, L. A., Mancini, E. M. M., Cabrelon, V. C., Carrijo, L. D. F., Oliveira, M. C. D., Brañas, M. J. A. A., Croci, M. S., Aguiar-Borges, S., Santos, J. M., Sousa, N., Humes, E. D. C., Menezes, P. R., Miguel, E. C., & Caye, A. (2026). Big five personality traits and lifestyle: a cross-sectional study in brazilian undergraduate students. BMC Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-026-05391-8

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s40359-026-05391-8

Keywords: Big Five personality, lifestyle patterns, extraversion, neuroticism, openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, Brazilian students, cross-sectional study, regression analysis, mental health, five