Personality traits and positive/negative affects: An analysis of meaning in life among adults

Abstract

This study examines the impact of positive and negative affects and personality traits on meaning in life in an adult population. The sample consisted of 335 subjects: 190 females and 145 males, and a Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), positive and negative schedule (PANAS), and adjective-based personality scale (ABPT) were used in the research. The data were analyzed on a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) as well as a Pearson product moment correlation and hierarchical multiple regression analysis. According to the findings of the study, early adults’ search for meaning in life was higher than either middle-aged adults or older adults. Positive affect, extraversion, openness to experiences, agreeableness, and conscientiousness correlated with both the presence of meaning in life and the subject’s search for meaning in life. In addition, the results of the Pearson correlation analysis indicated that presence of meaning in life had a significant negative correlation with negative affect and neuroticism. According to the results of multiple regression analysis, presence of meaning in life was predicted by openness to experiences, neuroticism, and positive affect, while the search for meaning in life was predicted by extraversion and negative affect.