Sunshine Duration and Personality Traits:Regional Differences of Extraversion and Neuroticism in Japan

Abstract

The present study examined the relationships of sunshine duration with extraversion and neuroticism. Previous studies suggested that individuals living in regions that receive little direct sunlight tend to experience depression and lack of sleep, which are associated with particular personality traits. Moreover, they are associated with increases in the amount of serotonin with longer daylight durations. We used a Japanese dataset including 18,922 adults (9,227 females; mean age: 47.74) and conducted a prefecture-level analysis. Results of multiple regression analysis indicated that neuroticism was negatively associated with sunshine duration while extraversion was not. The results showed that sunshine duration may explain the variance of regional differences in personality traits.