Largest Study Of Its Kind Backs Personality Stereotypes In Jobs

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If you’ve ever wondered why the life of the party ended up in sales or why the meticulous list-maker became an accountant, you might be onto something. A new study suggests that job stereotypes linked to personality traits could have a lot more truth behind them than we’d like to admit. Love it or hate it, it turns out those clichés about certain jobs being better suited for specific personality types might actually be pretty spot-on.

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Tartu in Estonia have explored the link between personality and career choice, using data from nearly 70,000 people across more than 250 occupations, marking the largest study of its kind. By analyzing personality traits through the lens of the ‘Big Five’ dimensions—openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism—the team uncovered some interesting correlations that confirm what many might already suspect.

The study, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, found that creative individuals, often high in openness, were more likely to work in artistic fields such as writing or design (but you already knew that). Meanwhile, those who scored high in conscientiousness—traits like reliability and organization—tended to favor structured roles, such as administrative or accounting positions. Extroverts were predictably drawn to jobs that involve social interaction, like sales or public relations, thriving on people-focused environments.

On the flip side, participants who rated high in neuroticism seemed to shy away from leadership roles, favoring positions that don’t require managing others. Professions like acting, journalism, and other creative endeavors often attracted more neurotic individuals, perhaps due to the emotionally demanding nature of these roles.

The study also found that many managers, salespeople, and real estate agents often scored lower on agreeableness, reflecting the more complex and occasionally confrontational nature of these roles.

The devil is in the details

The probe went further to examine more nuanced characteristics. Managers and legal professionals, for one, tended to be highly competitive. Judges, pilots, and senior government officials, on he other hand, were found seen to be decisive. Both lorry drivers and those in religious occupations were noted for their conservatism, a trend that surprised even the researchers.

Dr. René Mõttus of the University of Edinburgh notes that stereotypes about job-specific personality traits might be more than just myths—they often hold a kernel of truth.

“People often have stereotypes about the personality traits typical of different jobs, and it turns out that many of these intuitions are quite accurate,” Mõttus details.

Additionally, the researchers have developed interactive tools to help individuals explore how their personality traits align with different career paths, offering a more personalized approach to understanding where one might fit best.

The findings provide insight into why certain personalities thrive in particular professions, helping to clarify why some career paths just feel like a natural fit for certain people. And while it’s not always the case that an extrovert must be in sales or a conscientious person should be an accountant, the patterns are hard to ignore, since there’s apparently a science behind it all.

[via Phys.org, Psychology Today, Daily Mail, The Telegraph, cover illustration generated on AI]