The Big Five personality traits
The Big Five is the most widely used model of personality in psychology. It describes you with five scores instead of a single type.
Updated 2026-09-30
The Big Five grew out of decades of research, much of it from the 1980s and 1990s, that looked for the fewest dimensions needed to describe how people differ. The same five traits keep appearing across languages and cultures, which is why the model is so widely used in research.
The five traits
| Trait | High scorers tend to be | Low scorers tend to be |
|---|---|---|
| Openness | Curious, imaginative, drawn to ideas and new experiences | Practical, conventional, focused on the familiar |
| Conscientiousness | Organised, reliable, self-disciplined | Flexible, spontaneous, less focused on plans |
| Extraversion | Outgoing, talkative, energised by people | Reserved, reflective, energised by time alone |
| Agreeableness | Warm, trusting, cooperative | Direct, sceptical, competitive |
| Emotional stability | Calm, even-tempered, resilient under stress | Sensitive, prone to worry and mood swings |
The fifth trait is often called neuroticism, which is simply the opposite end of emotional stability. We report it as emotional stability, so a higher score means calmer.
Scores, not types
Unlike type-based systems, the Big Five places you somewhere along each of the five scales. Most people land near the middle on most traits, with one or two that stand out. That makes the results more precise, and more stable when you retake the test.
Big Five vs Myers-Briggs
Myers-Briggs sorts people into 16 types from four either-or choices. It is popular and easy to remember, but people often get a different type when they retake it, because small changes near the middle flip a letter. The Big Five measures degrees instead of categories and has much stronger research behind it.
About our test
Our free personality test uses the IPIP 50-item Big Five markers, a public-domain questionnaire developed by psychologist Lewis Goldberg and widely used in research. It takes about 8 minutes. Read how our tests work for how we score it.
Common questions
What are the Big Five personality traits?
Openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism, often remembered as OCEAN. Many tests, including ours, report the last one as its opposite, emotional stability.
Is the Big Five better than Myers-Briggs?
Researchers generally prefer the Big Five. It measures each trait on a continuous scale instead of sorting people into types, and it has much stronger research support for predicting real-world outcomes.
Does personality change over time?
Traits are fairly stable in adulthood but do shift gradually. On average, people become more conscientious and agreeable and more emotionally stable as they get older.
Is there a best personality?
No. Each end of every trait has strengths and trade-offs. For example, low extraversion suits focused solo work, and high extraversion suits roles with lots of social contact.
Try it yourself
Take the free personality test