Personality and Well-Being Traits of Agricultural Scientists: Assessment, Correlations, and Prediction

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the personality traits of agricultural scientists and to find out their relationship with well-being attributes and to predict their happiness and life satisfaction. Data was collected from 622 respondents (424 males, 198 females; mean age 41.8 ± 6.3 years) by administering Big-Five Inventory (BFI-10), Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and Psychological Well-Being (PWB-18) questionnaires. Findings revealed significant gender differences in neuroticism and openness, favouring female scientists. Such gender differences were not observed in their scores on happiness, life satisfaction, and PWB. Most of the scientists reported higher levels of happiness (86.2% moderately to very happy), life satisfaction (68.9% satisfied to extremely satisfied), and PWB (57.4%). With age, extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness increased, whereas neuroticism and openness decreased. Similarly, environmental mastery, positive relations, and total PWB improved with age. Except for neuroticism, personality traits were positively correlated with happiness, life satisfaction, and PWB. The regression model on happiness captured 63.7% of variation by considering personality traits (neuroticism being the strongest contributor) and traits of PWB (self-acceptance and environmental mastery being the largest contributors). In the model for life satisfaction, neuroticism, among the personality traits, self-acceptance, environmental mastery, positive relations, and purpose in life, among the PWB, captured 35.3% of the variation in life satisfaction. The implications of these findings in relation to the workplace environment are discussed.