Associations between Sleep-related Characteristics and NEO-Five Personality Traits: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Rachel Ran Wang, Zexuan Mu, Forrest Tin Wai Cheung, Xiao Li, Ngan Yin Chan, Joey Wing Yan Chan, Yun-Kwok Wing, Shirley Xin Li

Abstract

Introduction: Adequate sleep is essential for physical and mental health. Given the high prevalence of sleep disturbances and their significant negative impacts, a growing body of research has been conducted to understand the predisposing factors that may be associated with changes in sleep-related characteristics and the risk of sleep problems. Whilst there has been some evidence suggesting a relationship between personality traits and sleep features, the results remained controversial. This current review aimed to explore whether personality, especially NEO-Five personality traits, are associated with sleep-related characteristics (i.e., sleep quality and sleep duration) in adults.

Methods: After a systematic search in four major databases from inception to Apr 2021, 37 studies that included the key outcome measures were identified and included in this review. The inclusion criteria comprised of articles written and published in English, with a mean age of sample size over 18-year-old and reported the association between any of the NEO-Five personality traits and sleep-related characteristics (i.e. sleep quality and sleep duration) as measured by standardized measurement, either subjectively or objectively.

Results: Better sleep quality was associated with a higher level of openness (r=-0.01; 95%CI: -0.07, 0.05; p=0.02), conscientiousness (r=-0.11; 95%CI: -0.20, -0.03; p<.01), extraversion (r=-0.10; 95%CI: -0.15, -0.04; p<.01) and agreeableness (r=-0.20, 95%CI=-0.42, 0.05; p<.01), and a lower level of neuroticism (r=0.29, 95%CI=0.17, 0.40; p<.01). Shorter sleep duration was found to correlate with a higher degree of neuroticism (r=0.13; 95%CI: 0.06, 0.20; p<.01) while not significantly with conscientiousness (r=-0.03; 95%CI: -0.10, 0.04; p=0.76) and extraversion (r=-0.03; 95%CI: -0.10, 0.04; p=0.57). Qualitative analysis suggested that longer sleep duration was associated with higher degree of openness but not with the level of agreeableness trait.

Conclusion: Most of the included studies utilized self-report measures and recruited participants from the general population with a cross-sectional design. Future studies may consider utilizing objective measures and exploring the observed associations in the clinical populations. There is also a need for longitudinal studies to examine the prospective association between personality traits and sleep-related characteristics. Further exploration of how personality traits affect the outcome of prevention and intervention of sleep problems in future research may potentially inform clinical practice and the design of personalized treatment plans.

Recommended citation: Wang, R., Mu, Z., Cheung, F. T. W., Li, X., Chan, N. Y., Chan, J. W. Y., ... & Li, S. X. (2022). Associations between Sleep-related Characteristics and NEO-Five Personality Traits: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine, 100, S68-S69.