National Character and Economic Performance

Abstract

The present study explored whether the average scores on a personality test of the residents in 55 nations were associated with the gross domestic product per capita in the year 2000 and the growth in the GDP/capita from 2001-2005. Nations whose residents had higher score on a measure of neuroticism had a higher GDP/capita in 2000, and nations whose residents had higher scores on a measure of agreeableness had lower growth in the GDP/capita from 2001 to 2005. This supports Lynn’s hypothesis that national character might contribute to the prediction of the economic performance of nations.